If I Wasn't There
by Tarlyn
Summary: Max, daughter of Voldemort, has trained her whole life for a mission from her father and has hoped for a chance to go to a real school. Her only problem? Her goal is to get the one and only Fang and family and falling in love wasn't part of the plan.
1. What happens here, stays here

I woke up and yawned. Just another day in the wonderful life of me, Maximum Ride. Lovely.

"Hey, sis," said a cheerful voice. One of father's people my age in a black hood came into my awesomely awesome black and red room. One of my 'brothers'. "Your father wishes to speak with you this morning after you come down. He asks you to please not be late." I nodded, trying to stifle another yawn, and lightly kicked Grey off of me. Grey is my wolf. He fell off the bed and landed on Winter, my husky dog. She whined, annoyed from being woken up so rudely, and swatted at him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Travers, bro," I muttered. He's not really my brother. It's just that everyone that is under dad's power and is around my age is a brother or sister to me. Most of them, however, I've never even spoken to before. "Tell him I'll be there." Kick ass attitude, quick-as-lightning tongue, extreme mutation strength, and all. On the floor, Grey and Winter were still wrestling. It was fine by me; they loved each other too much to cause much damage. Their unborn children was enough proof.

I bet you're wondering just who I am really. Guess what? You're in luck. I'll tell you.

I am Maximum Ride-Riddle. Max for short. They let me name myself but they gave me the last name that they give all their experiments. More on the mysterious 'they' later. I am a part bird, part purebred wizard mutant who was given to Lord Voldemort (a.k.a. dad) as a gift from the company that made me all out of whack, Itex, a.k.a. 'they'. (Not the animal, ibex, even if they do sound mightily alike.) For me, life's good. I can wield magic better than most witches since I started my training early (thank you, dad) and I can fly. Not by broomsticks like those poor flat-backed schmucks do. With my huge harpy eagle-like wings. More on that later. I'm also home schooled. It's actually pretty boring unless dad teaches since all the other teachers drone on and on and on about crap that I could really care less about. But when dad teaches, it's pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself. Luckily, that's most of the time. We do hands on stuff and actually get to test out spells and potions. Every now and then, we invent spells. I won't tell you what happens during those lessons, but let's just say that with the right words, pigs can fly.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only bird kid the world has ever (not) known. Not like the world knows any anyways.

Either way, I showered, got dressed in baggy jeans that I've colored on with Sharpies and ripped a few times, light blue tank top, black hoodie, a few metal chain bracelets, and dragon claw necklace, and headed downstairs to the dining room. Yeah, I did get some pretty strange looks from the snooty purebloods around me all of whom were decked out with dark robes with elaborate designs, but this was my house and if they didn't like it, they could get out. Besides, dad didn't seem to care what I wore around the house as long as I wore my robes in public. Well, he'd probably be a bit concerned if I came down in a bikini, but I don't exactly own one because of the wings protruding out of my back. Oh yeah, the wings…

I did say I was part bird, part human right? Yes? Okay, good. Well, because of that mutation, (which leaves me 98% human, 2% bird, and attitude all over,) I've got a fourteen foot wingspan and the weird hollow bones along with the weird feeling to need to migrate every winter. Good thing this place has got a heater (along with a whole load of AC in the summer) or else I'd never survive.

"Good morning, Dad," I said with a grin, sitting down and grabbing a bunch of bacon and a small glass vial of a thick amber liquid. Jeez, chill. It's not poison. At least, it's not unless you're allergic to maple syrup. My dad, Lord Voldemort, looked up from the Daily Prophet he was reading and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Max. I've got some good news for you." I smiled, feeling giddy. Unlike a lot of parents I've read about, when dad says he's got good news, he means it, he's got good news. And it's never the small stuff like 'I'm sending you to camp,' it's more like 'I'm getting you a Siberian husky and a male wolf for your birthday to guard your room,' or 'I'm getting you a million Galleon necklace for your birthday that has been once in the ownership of Salzar Slytherin.' I still have that necklace. It's a flat gold egg with a green 'S' on one side that looks like a snake and it's got emeralds all over it. The only problem is that it doesn't match my outfits because everyone in the mansion knows that you do NOT mix Slytherin and Gryphondor colors together in an outfit ensemble.

"Ooh, really?" I asked. "Does this mean that I won't be homeschooled anymore?" I've asked this pretty much every single time he says that he's got good news for me. He's bound to crack at some point.

"As a matter of fact, Max, yes. You will be entering your fourth year." I gawked, the bit of waffle I was chewing dropping out of my mouth.

"You're joking, right?"

He shook his pearly white head. Did you know that when he waxes it, it looks like one heck of a round shiny mirror. "No, Max. You're really going to go to an actual school."

"It's not going to be some little ladies academy, right?" I clarified. "I'd love to go to a regular magical school, but one of those ladies academies where everyone acts all prim and proper, well, that'd be Hell."

"Yes, I would agree. That would be Hell." He chuckled. That's another thing I love about dad. He doesn't care if I swear. "No, you'll be going to my old school of magic, Hogwarts. It's where all the Death Eaters send their children and it's high time you got sent on a mission."

"A mission?" I squealed excitedly. I'd been waiting my entire life to go on one for my dad. Those mini-missions in training just weren't cutting it.

"Yes, Max, a mission. Your first one, I believe." I nodded eagerly. "Well, when you go to Hogwarts, you must get into Slytherin. Shouldn't be too hard, a cunning girl like you." I beamed at his compliment. It wasn't often that dad gave them. "Then you must find allies. Strong, willing, sly, and cunning; preferably in Slytherin. They will become possible future Death Eaters that will be under your control. Also, I have heard reports from old Mr. Malfoy, saying that his son has seen people flying through the air without broom and something like…wings." My jaw might as well have hit the floor.

"You mean there are more like me?" I asked, fluttering out my wings. They were huge, roughly fourteen feet of awesomeness. He nodded.

"If young Mr. Malfoy is telling the truth, then there is a slim possibility. I defiantly want those on our side. Unless, of course, you'd rather your cousins by bird genes be killed by us or kill us…" I shook my head desperately. "Very good then, Max."

"When do I get to start?" I asked, breakfast forgotten. What a pity. The cook rarely ever made crème brulée for breakfast.

"When school starts, of course, Max. You'll first have to make your acquaintance with young Mr. Malfoy–"

"–whose real name is not young Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure."

"His name is Lucius; he is one of your new brothers and he's a pureblood, very much like you would have been, had you not been injected with the bird DNA. I must say that that two percent is rather beneficial."

"I know; saves a whole lot of money when it comes to buying broomsticks." We both grinned about that because we both knew that dad was not a person who was cheep when it came to buying broomsticks. Every time a new broomstick came out, he'd buy it for me. Just because I've got wings doesn't mean I don't have to learn how to fly a broomstick. Imagine if my wings got broken, hurt, or even worse, chopped off! Kind of the reasoning I used on him when I said I wanted to learn how to fly…the manual way. (Well, between you and me, he got a bit pissed because he thought I wanted to learn how to fly a plane. It all smoothed over when I explained that I wanted to learn the way wizards and witches fly.)

"We'll be going, well, more accurately, you'll be going shopping in Diagon alley tomorrow with the Malfoys, who have graciously let you stay under their wing, no pun intended, for the day." Translation: he threatened them until they agreed to not let any harm come to his precious little angel. Really, other than the wings, I am as much of an angel as he is.

After breakfast, I departed to the large stretch of grass in the backyard. Since it's summer, I don't have many classes even if dad sometimes calls me over to tell me about the kills he has done so I can mark it off on the enormous family tree. Since all pureblood and half bloods are related, there is a bunch of line connecting a bunch of people. The not so pureblood people (in other words, muggle born) are just names of people who hang in the middle of a large mass of emptiness on the mural in our, well, mural room. Every time someone dies, I have to mark the person dead as well as explain how they died. It's one of the most annoying jobs ever, but it's not like I can say otherwise. After all, it's dad we're talking about. I have to repay him somehow.

Back to what I was doing before the blab-fest: I wanted to fly. Manually and not-so-manually. And besides, Lucius supposedly loved flying so I might as well kill two birds with one stone. No pun intended. Jeez, what is it with bird expressions?

As I had hoped, Lucius was there flying with his state-of-the-art broomstick. Mine was still better. He looked like an albino; he probably was. On the ground, watching him in awe, was another little albino; a girl. Beside her, a dark curly-haired girl with heavy lidded eyes scowled at them. She was probably jealous. Or disgusted. I guessed the later. Two sisters. My first ones, I believe. It took them all a few minutes to notice me.

"Bella, who's she?" the female albino asked the dark one. She shrugged.

"How would I know, Cissy? Maybe your _darling_ Lucius knows."

"Yeah, I do," he yelled from up high in the sky. "Hello, sister, Max, person, dad told me about you." He grinned at me.

Cissy stepped forward. "I'm Narcissa Black, and this is my sister, Bellatrix," she said softly. I nodded once in understanding.

"I'm supposed to meet Lucius." I turned to him. "Hello Lucius!" And then I left to grab my broom out of the broom closet.

My broom was made out of a deep mahogany wood with rich red cherry wood twigs for the tail. It was a real work of art and I prized over nearly every other object I owned. That is, if you don't include my wings. I took it out to the flying pitch and mounted.

Despite the fact that I had wings attached to my back, I loved flying on a broomstick. It was that sense of pure freedom, but with no work involved. And I wasn't all tired out in the end. I slipped out my wand and muttered the incarnation that would send my broom back to the closet after I jumped off of it. As it headed back, I, in front of a probably shocked group of purebloods, jumped off of it, spread out my wings, and for the first time in so long, really flew.

* * *

"We'll need to get your robes fitted, and then we'll get all your books, cauldrons, and ingredients, and then we'll stop for lunch, get some stationary, we can stop by the sweets shop, then we'll get Max a new wand, and then we can go shop for clothes in a muggle mall and then we'll be done!" Lucius looked embarrassed at his mother's performance, but I wasn't complaining.

"You'll have to forgive her. She's still a teenager at heart. Can't stop shopping. It's a good thing we have a nearly bottomless bank account at Gringotts," he whispered to me.

"At least you have a mother," I whispered back to him. He looked at me sympathetically.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said, giving a noncommittal shrug. "I never had a mom in the first place, so I can't really miss her. I suppose I should be feeling sorrier for you; you have someone to miss later."

"But all the good times rules out how much I'll miss her and how much I really despise her at times." I nodded in understanding.

"We'll be friends; I can tell," I told him with a grin. "We're both shallow and in depth with a hint of kick ass attitude."

He looked at me with fake innocence. "What attitude?" We cracked up. "And besides, Max, you forgot about my amazing cunningness and stealth."

"I bet you've never even stolen so much as a quill!" I said between bursts of laughter.

"Now Lucius, now Max," his mother tsked at us. "We really must be going." We nodded and followed her reluctantly.

I had never been to Diagon alley before this. Generally, I went to muggle shopping malls since they don't really have malls in the wizarding world and they defiantly don't have iPods, skullcandy, converse shoes, or jeans. And they don't have any writing utensils but quills. Thank goodness for colored ink. Diagon alley wasn't like any shopping centre I had ever been to before, but it was still pretty amazing. And Madam Malkins was really nice for someone who I had never come across before in my life.

"All of your robes must be in black. You would imagine that one of these days they'd change that rule," she was saying sadly as she measured me. A minute later, she came back with several sets of robes of my size. They were elegant and soft, but on a closer inspection, not black. "Dark green, dark red, black; what's the difference? It more or less looks the same," she said with a smile. "Just insist that you got into a fight or something and that's why you're bloody and covered in grass stains. That's what my mother told me I should do when she gave me dark colored robes."

"Smart mother," I commented. She smiled, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth.

"Thanks."

The book shop, admittedly, was not as fun as Madam Malkins, although Lucius was nice enough to give me a quick overview of some of the stranger titled books. Apparently, there was a pretty nice spell to turn someone purple in the book labeled 'Not-so-Colorless: Easy step by step instruction on how to change the color of your house, wand (though not recommended), nose hair (also not recommended), and more!' At the cauldron shop, I picked out a nice cauldron and Mrs. Malfoy got our ingredients. As we started to go to lunch, she suddenly let out a sharp squeal.

"Oh no!" she wailed. "I completely forgot to get you an owl, Max!" and she skittered off. Lucius just shrugged.

"This happens a lot."

"I'm not too surprised. Who could have ever expected a non-dramatic female Death Eater?" a snide voice commented. Lucius and I spun around and saw five people I didn't know. The one with short black hair was speaking. "I see you got rid of Cissy. Who's the bitch you've got there?" I glared.

"You DO NOT call me a bitch!" I screeched and punched his nose. He stumbled backwards, surprised. Then he shot me an easy going grin.

"We could have someone like you on our side. I'm James Potter. This is Sirius Black, my best friend." He pointed to a guy with long black hair. I sniffed disdainfully.

"A blood traitor," muttered Lucius. "Of course he'd be your best friend." James lunged at him, but I shoved him back. Who says a girl can't fight? "Stay away from them, Max. They're bad business."

"Max?" the short blond haired boy asked, laughing. "A girl named Max; what next?" All the others were also laughing.

"Shut up Pettigrew," growled Lucius. "And I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, wolf-boy Lupin. What kind of name is Fang, Fang?"

"A manly one," said the dark, almost gothic guy who also had long black hair.

"Manly my ass," I snorted. "I could kick your manly little butt around 'til next week." He glared at me.

"I hardly doubt it," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who would have thought the great Max, wait, what's your surname again?"

"Will you stop harassing her?" hissed Lucius in my defense. Thank you, ye old albino.

"Lucius Malfoy! Maximum Ride!" Uh-oh with owl. "I understand that you both like fighting for what's right, but to stoop so low as this? Talking to blood traitors? I expected better of you, Lucius. And Maximum, I don't know how strict your father is with you, but I am pretty sure he would not be too happy if he saw this. You of all people, talking to blood traitors! Unimaginable! You should be glad I won't be reporting this to your father."

"You won't?" I asked meekly.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," said Mrs. Malfoy with a black owl on her shoulder that looked more like a crow to me. "I couldn't find an owl that suited your personality so I got you a raven. It's smarter, anyways." Yeah, defiantly not an owl. "Now, how about we leave the presence of these horrid people and have lunch?" Lucius and I both nodded and turned our backs on those jerks.

* * *

Later, when we sat down at the Leaky Cauldron to eat, I asked Lucius about the five of them. Apparently, they didn't get along too well.

"Well, they call themselves the Marauders. James is the leader, Sirius is his best friend, Remus is supposedly the 'brain', Peter, well, who knows why he's there? And Fang, well, he's not there because he wants to be, that's for sure. All of them are Gyphondors except for Fang. He's a Slytherin, one of us. As much as we all despise him, he's not a traitor. Mum didn't see him there, most likely, or she wouldn't have said that they were all traitors. He only has to act in front of those blood traitors because it makes his father feel better about his son getting into Slytherin. But underneath it all, he's a Slytherin through and through, that is, if you skim over the fact that most Slytherins have a bone to pick with him. He's adopted. Pretty much all of his family is. The youngest two aren't adopted. They live with Hagrid during the school year since their dad doesn't have the time to deal with them. They're showing Slytherin qualities."

I smirked. "I sure bet that makes dad happy."

"Serves him right. The only time Mr. Ride ever acknowledges his children is when he publically presents them to show how amazing they are."

"Wait, Ride?"

"Yeah, Ride. Their last name is Ride." I gaped at him.

"Luce, my last name is Ride!" He frowned.

"Two things. Luce is a girls' name."

"Well, it's either that or Lucy. Pick one," I shot back.

"Luce. And second, I thought it was Riddle."

"It is; I meant my original last name!" Surely, this was just a coincident.

"There are a lot of people in the world with the last name of Ride," he said soothingly. I sighed.

"Tell me more about the Rides."

* * *

Turns out, the Rides were pretty interesting. Fang, the one we had met earlier, was the oldest and was in our year, fourth. He was quiet and lethal, not shy, as some mistakenly thought. Most people thought of him as a dark, unapproachable person with a regal air around him. He was a good Slytherin, sly and crafty. And practically invisible. It seemed like you could never find him unless he wanted to be found. People swore that he disappeared into the shadows. I grinned at that. He was a total badass. No wonder why they hated him.

The second oldest was an albino, Iggy, also in the fourth year. He was blind but it always seemed like he was not. He could rig almost any bomb and was devious. When you looked at him, he seemed like a normal boy with all that innocence that blond angels usually have. Stay around too long and you might have discovered the truth behind that pretty little face while in Heaven.

After him was a dark-skin, dark-haired girl going-into-first-year named Nudge with a love to talk. And when there was talk, there was gossip. She was a great assent in revenge. Apparently, all you had to do was tell her a rumor that you needed to spread and within twenty-four hours, the entire school, and sometimes more, would know. She made Rita Skeeter look like a wannabe. Everyone went to her for the latest gossip when they visited Hagrid. Perfect Slytherin.

Then there was Zephyr, the oldest non-adopted child. He was a blond little eight-year-old angel like child. And he was like Iggy. He could make bombs out of nearly anything and was great at hacking and breaking in. He could pick locks and was the source of most of the chaotic problems in the forest and living with Hagrid only gave him an advantage. Rumor had it that he once set a Gryphondor into the forest, insisting that unicorns exist. (They do, in case you were wondering.) The Gryphondor got stuck there for a week, lost.

The youngest, Angel, was also not adopted. She was a little blond cherub at age six and was lethal in her own ways. According to Luce, she could know what you were thinking from one look at your face. With all this information, the little thing could easily control what many others did to her and her siblings. She had power.

"Wow, they're pretty impressive," I said to Luce, walking out of Toxic with four shopping bags. We had gotten a whole lot of stuff like torn jeans and awesome Dead by April t-shirts. I swear I have all their songs on my iPod.

"I know. I must also mention one thing. You know how you have wings?" I nodded.

"What about them?"

"Everyone's a bit curious about the flying people business at school. I'm guessing your dad already told you about it?" I nodded. "Well, whenever any of us ask them what they think about the flying people, they insist that it must be a hoax because flying people just don't exist according to them. I might be wrong, but I think they're the flying people." Well, jeez, he didn't seem too fly. Goodness, another bird joke.

"They could always just be telling the truth," I countered, but I was curious myself.

Could they be mutants, just like me?

"Bye dad! Love you!" I shouted out the window of the limo that would drive me and all the children of Death Eaters to King's Cross. Mrs. Malfoy, who had asked me to call her mom, was also coming. It made me feel better, knowing that at least one of my 'parent's would be there. Well, dad could hardly show up at King's cross, now could he?

Dad waved to me lovingly. "Remember, you are also on a mission, Max! I love you too!" The other kids seemed to look at me in surprise. They could probably never imagine Lord Voldemort being so…fatherly. Well, he was my father. Mine, all mine.

I turned from the window to talk to Lucius, but he was engrossed in a conversation with Cissy. Bella looked at them in disgust. "Lovebirds," she muttered. Cissy looked at her sister in annoyance and she must have seen me out of the corner of her eyes because she suddenly flickered her eyes over to me. I smiled at her but she glared back with a look of pure hatred before turning back to Luce.

"Um, Bella?" I asked quietly. "Why's Cissy mad at me?" She just rolled her eyes.

"She's being jealous. She heard about how your father sent you with him to go shopping yesterday and how much her darling Lucius loved it. Ever since she found out that she has to be married off to him when she grows up, she been over protective of him. Cissy's probably afraid that he'll elope with some other girl.

I smiled. "Jealous girlfriend much?" Bella smiled back at me and nodded.

"Yeah, jealous girlfriend much."

The rest of the car ride passed without too many problems. Lionel Travers started screaming profanities out the window at some point. Once we got there, we all fought on who would get out first. I won.

* * *

"Look, Max, there's the Rides!" said Luce, pointing to a family off in the distance and running there. I ran after him.

"Luce! Wait up!" We got there at the same time, him being totally winded and me with excitement pumping through me.

"Oh, Fang?" asked Luce. "I'm really sorry about the act in Diagon alley. Had to do what I had to do."

Fang smirked. Nope, not too fly at all. Well, a little fly, I'll admit. But not much. "No harm done, brother," he said, lightly punching Luce in the arm. "But it was really convincing. What happened to Narcissa? She looked like, well, not Narcissa. Didn't even act like her normal self. Seemed…braver. A lot braver."

"Fang, that wasn't Narcissa. That was Max. And she didn't mean to sound so threatening either."

"Really? I thought Narcissa was just going in disguise or something." He turned to me. "So, you're Maximum Ride. We have the same last name, you know." I copied his proud stance, his studying glare, his firm tone.

"Yeah, I know. What is it to you?" He just shrugged.

"Nothing. We better get on the Hogwarts Express." He gestured to the gleaming red train. I nodded and followed. Maybe I was just paranoid, but something about him just ticked me off. But we sat together on the train anyways, because of Luce.

His family was a whole lot better than he was. But I had to remember to excuse his actions. After all, he was a Slytherin. This was how he was supposed to be, cold and bitter. Good thing the rest of his family was different.

Angel was the sweetest. She complimented me on my hair and gave me a flower, the sweet thing. "It's a larkspur. Mum had a garden of larkspur before she died. After that, we brought all the little plants out to Hagrid's garden. His dog, also named Fang, loves them." I smirked and looked over at the human Fang.

"So, tell me wizard Fang. What does it feel like to be named after a dog?"

"The dog was named after me, jerk," he said into my invisible mike. I ignored the last part.

* * *

When we arrived at Hogwarts, Nudge instantly stopped talking, afraid. It was her first year here but she was a Slytherin shoo-in. So was I.

"I have to go to the boats now, right?" she asked Iggy. He nodded blindly at her.

"_Hear_ you there, Nudge," he said with a smirk. It wasn't like he could say 'See you there,' anyways. She gave him a fleeting smile and left. The rest of us went to the carriages.

"What's pulling them?" I asked, carefully reaching out to stroke one of the scaly horse-like creatures. They were a scabby gray color with wrinkled skin and looked like death. They were beautiful.

"Nothing," said Luce, looking at me weirdly. I had _so_ better not be hallucinating. Fang studied me carefully to see my reaction. "Well, Fang insists that they're being drawn by these things called thestrals that can only be seen by those who have seen someone else die. Iggy, well, he can't see anything. And when it come to these thestral things, I can't see much either." Well, that would make sense why I could see it while Luce couldn't. I had seen countless people die when dad brought me along to see his killing sprees. I had killed some of them myself. But I just kept quiet and got into the carriage.

"You can see them, can't you?" Fang's voice was so soft, I almost didn't hear it. Iggy was talking to Luce, keeping him distracted. I nodded slightly. "So you've seen someone die. Just like me, huh?" I nodded again. "Who did you see die?"

"Someone."

"How many?"

I froze. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't tell anyone, maybe except for Luce who knew who I really was. But not Fang, not him, at least, not now.

"I don't know…" I breathed.

"This year, we have a new student entering fourth year," announced the old man up front. I liked his beard. It was so long and white… "Please welcome Ms. Maximum Ride." I sauntered up to the front and slid into the seat. Nudge was already pronounced a Slytherin along with other little first years with the potential.

"SLYTHERIN!" And apparently, so was I.

A roar of green and silver clad students got up and cheered for me as I walked over to the table. Luce got up and met me halfway, hugging me. Behind him, Cissy was fuming. I gave her an apologetic look, despite the fact that she didn't deserve it.

"We usually evaluate the new Slytherins the night of the Sorting to get an idea of how they benefit us," said Luce quietly to me partway through dinner. Those little house elves sure made good steaks. But it then occurred to me that I wasn't even sure what kind of meat they were.

"This is cow meat, right?" I asked Luce warily. He nodded deafly and kept talking.

"Nudge was already determined by us a long time ago since she came up to the castle often and well, she was a Slytherin shoo-in like shown tonight. Max, you have to explain your talents and connections. Most of the Slytherins would be thrilled to know that you're the daughter of your father. But that's a harmful weapon against you if you have an enemy amongst the Slytherins. It's rare because all the houses are against us so we stick together like a real family, but rivalry can occur over stupid disputes and then house secrets can be spilled to one of the other houses. So you have to tell them something else. I know that you can be pretty convincing, or as some call it, brain washing, when you want to be. I've seen it happen."

I gawked at him. _Nobody_ except dad and I knew about my ability to manipulate! "No I don't!" I hissed.

"I highly doubt it. But forget we ever had the manipulating conversation. You have a mission, Max. I know about it. I'm supposed to help you."

"Dad doesn't trust me, does he?" I asked with a scowl. He just rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't want you to get hurt in the process. Max, you're the only person in the entire mansion he truly loves. Probably the only person in the entire universe he cares for. You're his daughter."

"Thanks for the newsflash, Einstein."

"Back to the original conversation. You need to decide what of your talents you are going to reveal."

"The less, the better," someone behind me whispered. Bella slid into the seat next to me. "The less they know about you, the less they expect you to do dangerous things. Make yourself seem harmless. Like you're a Gryphondor who happened in here by accident."

I scowled. "Who wants to be a Gryphondork? I think I'd die before I even sat down at that table." They smiled.

"Gryphondork?" asked Luce, smirking.

"Yeah," I said. "Dorks throwing them into danger without thinking and die like _that_." I snapped up fingers. Bella laughed.

"You have a wicked sense of humor." She suddenly perked up. "You could say that you've got ability for insulting and hurting people mentally." Luce smirked. He does that a lot…

"I like the way you think, Bells." Cissy came up behind him and roughly yanked him out of his seat and out of the Great hall.

"Poor Luce," I said to Bella. "He's got a jealous girlfriend that he can't even break up with."

"Yeah. I'll feel worse for him later when you punch him."

"Why would I do that?"

"That's not cow meat, Max. That's dragon meat."

"Ewwwwwww!"

* * *

"Year after year, we, current seventh years, take the daunting task of distinguishing the talents, abilities, and use of the newest Slytherins," announced the male seventh year Prefect. I think his name was Alex. I was curled up on one of the many couches scattered around the room. All the little first years Nudge included, sat on the floor, waiting to be evaluated.

"We'll be going alphabetically," said the female seventh year prefect, Lexis. Oh yeah, did I mention that they're twins? No? Well, now I did.

Lexis grabbed the sheet of parchment she had been scribbling names on earlier during the sorting. "Andrea Aarons, please step up and state your talent and why you are a Slytherin." Little Andrea Aarons stood up primly.

"First, let me make it clear that anyone who calls me Andrea might as well pick out the color of their headstone and write their will ahead of time because I will _not_ tolerate it."

"Then what are we to call you, Ms. Aarons?" asked Alex, amused. Matt, Ms. Aarons older brother, rolled his eyes. He was a skilled troublemaker.

"Andre. Not Andy. Not if you want to live. And I can find passageways really easy. It's like they pop up around me."

"We already know about the passageways around Hogwarts," said Lexus. She gave Alex a look that said 'this is going to be a long night.'

"Bet you don't know about the one that leads to the back of the portrait of a lion in the Gryphondor's common room," Andre countered. Matt gawked at her.

"So this is why it took you so long to go to the bathroom?" She shrugged as if it was nothing.

"I was curious about the painting of an archway and checked what was behind it. I didn't expect to tumble into the Gryphondor common room!"

"Very impressive, Andre," Alex said with a twisted smile. "Who's next to display their talents?"

I spent that night learning about the many abilities of my house mates. Or, at least the short ones.

* * *

Michelle was an exceptionally damsel-in-distress-like girl with a killer punch. Gordon and his goblin sized brother, ironically named Dragon, could fit into the tiniest spaces. Jack, short for Blackjack, knew how to operate muggle weapons such as gun and bows and arrows. Lilith was this tiny little professional gymnast who managed to get from one side of the common room to the other, just by grasping on to the decorative banners and ceiling beams and swinging to the next firm place where she could grip with either her hands or feet.

"Alia Nudge Ride, I believe we've already evaluated you before?" Nudge nodded.

"Yeah. I'm gossiper extraordinaire," she said primly and twirled off to where Fang and Iggy stood.

"And the last Slytherin of tonight was Maximum Ride," announced Alex. He looked over at me. "Nice name. Your talents?" I gazed over to where Luce and Cissy were locked in some sort of demented embrace. I knew for a fact that Bella had already left in disgust. I was on my own.

"Well, I can spar for one. I can fight physically and mentally. I can get under people's skins. I can move really fast. And, oh yeah, I can manipulate." Alex and Lexus looked over to me in surprise.

"What do you mean, manipulate?" he asked.

"I can make people see things my way. It's like, like, like I can convince people to do things, convince them to think the way I do. I can make anything seem wrong or right in a matter of seconds," I admitted. Lexus beamed.

"Very impressive, Maximum–"

"Max."

"Max. You wouldn't be one of Mr. Daniel Ride's new adoptees, would you?"

"I–what?"

"Never mind. You'll make a great addition to our, well, I'll tell you later." Then, turning to everyone else who had stayed around long enough to hear about me, (which included all the Rides and not including Luce and Cissy,) she bid us all good night.

* * *

My room…well…I've been living at the mansion since my time started. The mansion is probably the most amazing house owned by magical people. I shouldn't have expected much from a school dorm room. It was acceptable though. At least Bella was here and Cissy was not.

"Well, Max, you already know that I'm Bella. This is Halo," she pointed to a blond-haired blue-eyed angel-like girl who waved at me, "and this is Contessa." The girl with super curly red hair, bright electric green eyes, and freckles waved at me. "They're twins."

"Wow, you guys don't look like twins." They both grinned the same grin and they both gave me that knowing look.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," they both said in their same understanding voice before simultaneously bursting into the same evil sounding laughter. "So tell us, Max. How do you like Hogwarts? When we first got here, everyone avoided us. They thought we were creepy, always saying things at the same time."

"I can see why..."

"They never gave us a chance," they said with a regreatful sigh. "At least, not until Bella became out friend."

"Do you guys always speak at the same time?"

"One of the reasons why they're in Slytherin is supposedly because they get on people's nerves," Bella explained. Oh…

"Well cut the crap, I'm sleeping 'till the roosters crow," I announced. After my head hit the pillow, I knew of nothing else but my nightmare.

* * *

I suppose when you have nightmares, people in them are only in them because you think of them a lot. Well I think that's bullshit because I haven't spared the white coat schmucks at Itex a thought since they've dropped me off with dad and here they are. Thank you, unstylish insane people for invading my thoughts.

It was possibly the strangest nightmare ever. I knew I was a little girl in that dream. I had wings on my back and they were made of soft downy feathers. Judging by the size, I probably could have flown with them, but not far. I was maybe…four? Five? I was in a cage, no way out. In a cage near me, there was another little kid with wings around my age. He had a tan skin color and long black hair and matching eyes. Somehow, I knew he was my friend. So was the blond boy with the blurry blue eyes. He couldn't see, I knew. There was also another friend there, an African American girl. She was much smaller than the rest of us and looked much more terrified.

The white coats entered. They glanced at something quickly and grabbed our cages, loaded them onto a truck, and drove somewhere. The dream faded out.

Suddenly, I was in another truck, my friends still with me. We were driving down a winding lane. Colorful wildflowers grew on both sides. Soon, we were passing the first people I had seen walking on the road. And then other people. And then others. They all looked alike. Black hoods, pale face…it was a road of mirrors. We arrived at a mansion. A very familiar mansion, but my curious five year old mind won over my fourteen year old mind so I really didn't know where it was. A white coat took my cage to the door, rang the bell to signal a delivery, and left.

Then, it got even weirder. It was like I was being flung from my little body and I was now seeing myself through a mystery persons eyes. I looked at myself. No, make that my fourteen year old eyes. The truck screeched off and I heard the first and only distinguishable word in my entire dream so far. The dark haired boy with the panicked, anguished face set in perfect agony as he yelled,

"Max!"

The dream faded again. This time, my three friends were being unloaded on the front steps of a nice looking house, not as big as the previous one, but still rather nice. The servants carried them into the house, up the hidden staircase at the back of the mudroom, and into each of their individual hidden rooms, locked the doors so they wouldn't escape, and left. The dark haired boy crept out of his cage to the window.

"Max," he murmured over and over again. "Where are you, Max?"

Needless to say, I woke up then, feeling very unnerved.

* * *

"I feel like I have the world's worst hangover," I hissed to Halo and Contessa. Bella was talking to a boy she liked, Rodolphus Lestrange. They made such a cute couple!

Both girls gave me a sympathetic look. "It's bound to go away soon, Max," they said. "It's not like you had any liquor or alcohol last night." They both paused and then gave me the same horrified look, though Contessa's looked almost mocking. "You didn't have any, _right_?"

"Yeah, I mean, no, I didn't have any of that stuff last night, why?"

They then spoke the first individual sentences I ever heard out of them. "No reason, Max," said Halo, a little too brightly and let out a nervous laugh. Contessa laughed with her, though it was far from nervous. More like taunting.

"Halo's severely allergic to any types of liquor, Max. Just by being too close to air that's been mixed in with the scent of liquor could really damage her mentally. Not like she can get any more damage to the brain." Halo turned bright pink.

"You can talk now, Contessa, but wait until I find out something about you that makes you as red as your hair!" she said defensively.

"Well, Halo, when you do, you can tell me. Until then, I'll continue teasing you about it," said Contessa with a flip of her bright red locks, sending light everywhere.

"Max," cut in a voice. "Can I talk to you?" I turned around and saw Fang looking a little uncomfortable to be here. Halo and Contessa had enough sense to silently merge into the surrounding students and disappear.

"Okay. Talk."

He looked around nervously. "Not here. Too many people. Come on." He slid behind a door and disappeared into the darkness. I followed him into the empty classroom.

"Hello? Fang?" No answer. "This is not funny, Fang! If you don't think a girl can kick your ass, then you're wrong!" I shouted. A moment later, he appeared in my face.

"Sorry, I forgot that you can't run like I can," he said with a smirk, as if it were something to laugh about.

"It's not funny!" I snapped. "If you've got something, say it. I'm starved!"

"Come on then," he said, yanking my hand. He was running straight for a dark corner, full speed ahead.

"What the Hell–" I squinted at the bright sunlight. "How did you do that?" I demanded. He just smirked at me for a moment. Then an unknown thought occurred to me and before I could stop it, it came out of my mouth. "Shadow traveling." His face dropped.

"How do you know?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It just came to me. So why are you here? Why am I here?"

"You're Maximum Ride, aren't you?" he asked. I sighed.

"Is this really all you have to say to me?" I asked tiredly. "Can I go back now?" He shook his head.

"Have you ever heard of a company called Itex?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you know what they do?"

"Yeah," I said, a bit proud to be able to say I did.

"What do they do?"

"They create mutants, duh." Didn't he know I was one of them? No, of course not. But he _was_ cute…as cute as Grey when he fell into the alligator pit…

"How would you know this?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?"

"You wouldn't know this unless you've done major research on the company. I highly doubt that you just came across the name in a newspaper article." Oh shit.

"How do you know about it?" I countered back. He actually flinched. Okay, this was way too close for comfort. "Well, Fang, it's been wonderful spending time with you. Really, it has," I said sarcastically. "But it's been a total waste of time because all you've done is ask me about my name and a company I've heard of once. I'm already tired from lack of sleep and weak because of lack of both food and stamina. So really, Fang, it's been a pleasure talking to you, but I have got to go. Buh-bye." And just for the pleasure of completely taking him by surprise, I dove straight into darkness, doing a bit of shadow traveling myself, a talent I thought only I knew about up till now.

**Whatcha' think?**


	2. Dreams aka bad hangover

How could I have been so stupid? I _wouldn't_ have known about it unless I was a mutant myself. And then I had to be my smart ass self and tell him. Damn…

"Hello Max," purred Halo and Contessa, "We got your schedule for you. We also took liberty in marking all the classes we have together. We assumed you might want to know Bella's time table, so we marked hers' too, but in green. You don't mind green, do you? We sure hope not. She's been talking to Rodolphus nonstop. Could you go get her? And we also stole Lucius' time table. And Cissy's. We suppose he and bitchy Cissy will be down here and wondering where their time tables are." They both smirked and continued reading the Daily Prophet.

"Bitchy Cissy?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"We didn't make up the name," they said defensively. "Bella did."

"I thought all Slytherins are supposed to be friends," I said.

"Yeah, but you've probably heard of in-house rivalry, right? We thought Lucius told you everything!"

"He did. What stupid reason are you guys fighting over?"

They both sniffed arrogantly. "It's not just a stupid little trifle. Cissy doesn't get that we're Lucius' friends. She always thinks we're trying to steal him from her. Trust us, we we're amazed how long you were able to talk with him without being scared of Cissy. But then again, you didn't know. We feel terrible for Lucius. He has to be with _her_. But she's _his_ bitch so _we_ don't really have much of a say about it. But since Bella's her sister, she can say as much of the little roach as she'd like.

"Fortunately, we kept all of our secrets worth a damn to ourselves so Cissy doesn't have anything to hold against us. It's important to keep secrets, Max," they said flatly.

"Lovely," I muttered. "So, since I've been MIA for the past three years, could you fill me in on some of the secrets I could use against other Slytherins? You know, just in case."

"We know what you mean," they said sympathetically. "We were new in second year. Here's a chart with every Slytherin and their secrets from last year. We're trying to make a chart for the first years, but they haven't spilled a whole lot yet. They say that we're in Slytherin because we can get on people's nerves. That's only partly true. We specialize in finding out secrets." So _that's_ why they were in Slytherin. I was pretty sure it wasn't because of their ability to creep people out or their evil laughter.

"Hey girls," a boy with sandy blond hair ruffled Halo's hair and slid between her and Contessa. A dark haired boy hugged Contessa and kissed her on the cheek.

"Orin! Jay! We haven't seen you two in _so_ long!" Their eyes twinkled.

"We just saw you before school started, girls," said the blond one.

"You're Max, right?" the dark one asked me. I nodded. "Great. I heard you can manipulate. That's amazing." I smiled.

"Thanks."

"OMG!" squealed the twins. "We completely forgot to introduce you!"

"This is Orin, my boyfriend," said Halo, gesturing to the blond one.

"And this is Jay, my boyfriend," said Contessa.

Together, they said, "They're both in Slytherin too. And you both know Max, don't you?" they asked the guys who nodded.

"Yeah. Where's the guys?"

"You are guys," I said in a 'duh' sort of voice.

"I meant the other guys," said Orin.

"They're coming. Or, at least Lucius is. Wherever Cissy is, he is," said the twins.

"Who took my time table?" screeched a high pitched voice. Ugh. Cissy.

"I think one of the ghosts did," said Luce innocently. "I'll go look around just in case they dropped it." Cissy gave him a love sick smile and sashayed off to one end of the Slytherin table to sit with her friends, not the end we were at, thank goodness.

"What a bitch. I don't get how you can stand her, Lucius," said Bella, sitting down next to me.

"That's your sister, Bella. Now, which one of you took Cissy's time table?" The twins looked up from their Daily Prophet.

"Guilty," they said in unison. Orin and Jay chuckled.

"Of course you would," said Jay.

"Which one of you took it?" Luce demanded.

"I did," the twins said at the same time, Halo handing him Cissy's, Contessa handing him his.

"You took mine too?" he asked irritably.

"We also took Bella's. Here Bella."

"Thanks. What's with all these purple marks?"

"Those are the classes you and Max have together. We figured you might want to know."

Bella nodded. "Thanks. Do you have your chart of secrets?"

Both turned to her excitedly. "Why? Who? What?"

Bella lowered her voice. "I heard that James Potter was found in his room singing 'I'm too sexy for my shirt.' Lily Evans wanted revenge because he tried to kiss her the other day."

"You were talking to Lily?" they asked in an awed whisper. "Oh my goodness, we still have to say 'hi' to her! We've missed her so much! That girl should have become a Slytherin she's so amazing!"

"Who?" I asked. They turned to me. Luce got there first.

"Lily Evans is a mudblood, but the most amazing of her kind. She has been amazing at revenge, ever since Potter started hitting on her. She's also got an ability to perform complex spells and spell reversals. She's a great asset to us, especially when the Marauders strike."

"You shouldn't be calling her a mudblood," said Orin disapprovingly.

"Seems like a nice girl," I commented.

"Well, here's your chance to meet her. Here she comes," said Bella.

"Hi! Where's Severus?" asked a girl, Lily, looking more like Contessa's twin than Halo ever did.

"He's probably still sleeping," said Luce. I remembered how Sev was trying to cram a year's worth of mixtures into his head last night. He was amazing at potions.

"Oh. How was the evaluation last night? I wanted to be there so bad!"

"You missed a really great one, Lils," said Bella. "There were some pretty amazing first years. You should have seen Lilith. She's amazing!"

"And Harper was pretty good too," I added. He was an actor who had the ability to look uncannily dead.

"Hey, who are you?" asked Lily. I smiled innocently at her.

"I'm Maximum Ride, no relation to the other Rides here."

"Ooh, what are your talents?"

I threw her a twisted smile. "Manipulation."

"Really? Manipulate me."

"My pleasure. You know, James Potter is a really cute guy, right?"

"No…"

"Yes he is," I insisted. "Have you ever seen such amazing muscles? And he's got six pack abs! He's got this killer smile that makes most girls just melt." I sighed and gazed at him dreamily just for an extra effect. "Isn't he just wonderful?"

"Yeah," said Lily, now under my trance. She was wearing that same dreamy smile and gazed at him lovingly. Luce, Bella, and the twins were gawking. Jay and Orin only looked mildly amused.

"Now, Lily, you're extremely lucky. Do you know why?"

"No," she whispered.

"Because there's only one girl in this whole school that James Potter wants. And Lily, you're the lucky girl." She bolted upright.

"Really? Oh my goodness, is he looking this way? Is my hair okay? Max, why didn't you tell me this before?" she whined. Jay was guffawing and Orin was laughing his head off.

"It's okay, it's not too late, Lily. Now…snap out of it." She jerked awake, her cloudy eyes coming back into focus. She glared at me. "What? You told me to manipulate you!"

"True," she said grinning. "That is one awesome talent. It's like the mental imperious curse."

"Except I can do it on multiple people at the same time," I said, grinning. "It's not that strong yet so I'm practicing. It's easier for me to make people see things my way."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really like James Potter. He's a total jerk. But if I were to use my skill on one of his fan girls to make her stop liking him, it would be pretty strong and if I made a fatal mistake, permanent."

"Ouch. Has Lexus asked you to join the ranks of the Death Eaters yet?"

"What?"

"Every year, the prefects ask us if we want to be in the ranks of the Death Eaters," explained the twins. "We want to join, but no one's invited us yet." I bit back a response. I could make them elite Death Eaters if they wanted. They could be the best…I only had to say it…wow, this was so damn _tempting_…

"No, I don't think so. I've got to go and find out where my Defense Against the Dark Arts class is, 'kay?" I sped off, ignoring everything else they were saying.

* * *

"Uh, hi." The young witch in the classroom looked up at me surprised.

"Oh, hello. Class doesn't start for another twenty minutes. Why don't you go back to breakfast?"

"I don't really want to go back," I admitted. She smiled gently at me.

"In that case, could you please help me set things up? We're learning Patronuses. Dumbledore figured with all the unfortunate souls that have been sucked up, I should make them my first lesson. I'm Professor Sparrow and it's my first day here. What's your name and house?" She said this all very fast.

"Um, I'm Max and I'm in Slytherin house." I awaited her discriminating glare. Instead, she beamed.

"My old house, you know," she said, beaming. "They always think us Slytherins are evil, but in reality, we're just as smart as Ravenclaws but we make good use of our brain power. We take action, make changes, get results, you know, there is a reason why Slytherin wins the inter-house competitions so often. I haven't been keeping up with Quidditch. Who won last year?"

"Huh?"

"Who won the Qudditch match last year?" she repeated.

"It's my first year here," I admitted. "I was home schooled before this."

"Not a problem!" she said cheerily. She was probably the most cheerful Slytherin I had ever seen. Maybe except for Nudge, but still… "Do you mind helping me set things up? I would really appreciate it." I nodded. "Can you put the large chest right there, in front of the mirror and the keys next to it?" I picked up the chest and plopped it down in front of the mirror.

"So, Slytherin always wins, huh?"

"Yeah," said Professor Sparrow, now moving some desks to the side. "We may be cheaters, but at least we don't get caught. That is, if Slytherins haven't changed much since the time I was a Slytherin. And I was here just five years ago."

"Five years ago, was there people inviting you to join in the ranks of the Death Eaters?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes, there were. Always the prefects. They would invite only the best of the best to be in their ranks. I was invited multiple times because of my ability to merge into backdrop, make myself seem like I belonged even if I was the one Slytherin in a room full of Gryphondors. My wondrous ability to spy. I refused all those time. I wish I hadn't," she said ruefully. "If only I had joined. Then I wouldn't have such low paying jobs like this one. Not that I'm complaining," she said quickly. "I love children. I just need more Galleons." Everywhere I went, the effects of the Death Eaters were there.

"If, if you were offered to be a Death Eater again, would you?" She sighed.

"I'd love to. After this school year of course." She turned to look at me. "Why do you ask?" I paused, afraid.

"Because, if you want, I could probably make you an elite Death Eater," I said quietly. "Just say the word, and I could probably do it."

"Max, I've heard about your ability to manipulate from my niece and nephew, Lexus and Alex, but I highly doubt that you could convince the Dark Lord to allow me to be in his ranks. With me out of school for five years, I think that no one but the Dark Lord's daughter could convince him, and how would I convince her?" She chuckled. Why is it that I get into all these awkward conversations?

Fortunately, just then, class started and I slid into a seat in the corner where few would see me and the shadows were dark so that I could disappear if I truly wanted or needed to. I watched as person after person filed in; Bella, the twins, their boyfriends, Lily, Luce, Severus…

"May I sit here?" I looked up into Fang's face.

"Why next to me? Why not next to someone else?" I hissed.

"Because I need that shadows too, you know. How else am I to escape unwanted attention?"

"Fair enough," I muttered, scooting over. He was right, I thought as class progressed. Here in the shadows, no one noticed you unless you asked to be noticed.

"So, back to our discussion on Itex," he whispered. "How do you know about it?"

"Personally, I think the question is how would you know to ask about it?"

"I heard of the name somewhere. And I thought I'd ask." He was totally lying.

"And you also decided to show me shadow traveling in the process?" I decided to go out on a branch here. "Really, for a mutant who was told to keep quiet, you're really bad at this!"

That did it. He froze and his face showed complete fear. "How did you know I was a mutant?"

I scoffed. Amateurs. "I didn't until now. Spill."

"I was being sarcastic," he back tracked.

"And so are the wings sprouting out of your back," I added, going on another branch.

This time, he grinned. "And the wings growing out of your back? What about those?" I almost burst out laughing. He can't play my game and win.

"What wings?" I asked irritably. "My invisible ones?"

"I know you have wings, Max. If you didn't, you wouldn't ask these questions."

"Why wouldn't I?" I countered.

"Because you wouldn't know to be so specific." Shoot. I knew I was doing something wrong.

"And what about the rumors they spread, huh?" I hissed. "About you and your family having wings, are those true?"

_Ring!_

"Class dismissed!" said Professor Sparrow. I don't know who was more eager to be out of the other's presence, me or Fang.

* * *

That night, I had another dream about the same thing.

I knew this was happening a few years after I was born. A man with sea glass blue eyes and sandy blond hair was speaking to a man in a white coat.

"I want the full lot, Mr. Braham!" he hissed. "I want experiment 1003X-4, experiment 1003X-5, experiment 1006X-2, and experiment 1003X-6."

"Good sir, we've been very patient with you," said Mr. Braham, sounding anything but patient. "Experiment 1003X-4 has already been sold to another nice man in England. He asked for it long before it was even injected with the bird genes. He asked for it before its mother was even pregnant. And you know what they say. First come, first served."

"I will pay you double what this other man has paid you," he hissed. Mr. Braham shook his head.

"I cannot do that. Experiment 1003X-4 is his daughter."

"It would be my daughter if you just let me!" the man demanded.

"Sir, it really is his daughter. By all birthrights, it belongs to him."

"Then throw away those papers! Shred them all! Destroy any evidence that it belongs to him! I want that experiment!"

"If you do not leave right now, I will call security to throw you out and remove all your claims on the other experiments," said Mr. Braham coolly. _Go Braham._ "There are many other people who want those experiments and I am sure they are much more fatherly than you are."

The man glared back. "You wouldn't."

"Yes I would," said Mr. Braham. "I will not have these children suffering through any more abuse than they already have."

"Yes," said the man, nostrils flaring. "Especially when you and your men have done all the abuse!"

"Now, now, now," said Mr. Braham. "You must remember that I only do it because this is my job. I get paid good money. But I do have a heart."

"What heart?" roared the man. Mr. Braham sighed, shaking his head. A moment later, he took out his walkie-talkie.

"Security. Would you kindly escort my client to the door?"

Security did drag the man out, but not until he had attacked one of the experiments in the room. Experiment 1003X-4. Me.

* * *

Ever since I came to Hogwarts (two days ago) I've had these dreams. I have full right to question my sanity.

"Sanity? You have sanity?" asked the twins. "That's amazing! As Slytherins, we're generally never sane. That's how we come up with all these scheming ideas, Max."

"They're right," said Bella. "It's why we come up with all these ideas to put into action. Not all of them are sane, of course. Most of our ideas aren't at any rate."

"Beyond insane," chimed in Lily, sliding into the seat in between me and Sev. "Did you hear who asked out Fang Ride?"

"Who?" asked the twins, "Who asked him?" Their faces were alight and eager, their chart of secrets out.

"Practically every girl in this school has asked him out at least once," said Sev irritably. "You would imagine that you people would get tired of this." Everyone ignored him.

"Sicily Varner!" Lily whispered excitedly. Everyone listening gasped. Except one; yours truly.

"Who?" I asked.

"Sicily Varner," Lily repeated with a sneer. "That girl makes Cissy look like an angel from above. Gryphondor. Doesn't fit into any house really; too much of a slut. We all assumed the Sorting Hat just figured that she was an idiot, wasn't fair, and wasn't amazing enough to be in Slytherin and stuck her in the house of complete failure."

"Poor Fang," said Jay sympathetically.

"Can't believe it; Sicily Varner. I'd die before I went out with her," said Orin.

"Probably because your girlfriend would beat you into a pulp if you accepted," said Halo with a grin.

"You can't beat me into a pulp," he said cheerily.

"But her sister can," said Contessa.

"You could never," he scoffed. "I'd beat you into a pulp first."

"No," I interjected. "_I'd_ beat you into a pulp and serve what's left of you for dinner."

"Okay," admitted Jay. "That I can believe."

"What did Fang say?" the twins asked Lily.

"He refused of course!" she said in a semi-scoffing manner. "He's refused every single girl in this entire school!"

"Why?" I asked. It was Luce who answered.

"He says he's holding out for this one girl he saw years ago. They were best friends and she helped him though his toughest times. And then they were separated and he's been looking for her ever since. Until he finds out that she's dead or he asks her and she refuses, he's never going out with another girl."

"How do you know?"

Luce shrugged. "He told me." Then he dropped his voice so only Lily, Bella, Halo, Contessa, Jay, Orin, Sev, and me could hear. "I get the feeling that whoever he's holding out for has wings. We never had this conversation," he whispered with a wink and went back to a normal voice volume.

* * *

"We will be making a Draught of the Living Death today," announced the walrus-like professor. "Please open your books to the page written of the board and get started." Draught of the Living Death? I could do it in my sleep.

"Why isn't your book open, Ms. Ride?" asked Professor Slughorn. "I asked for the Draught of the Living Death, not one of your own inventions."

"I'm not inventing something at the moment," I said, annoyance in my voice. "I just know how to make this really well."

"And you, Severus! You've been my student for three years now! You should know better." Severus met my eyes and rolled his eyes at Slughorn. I laughed a bit to myself.

"Bragging only works if you can make it work," said a taunting voice from the other side of the room. James Potter. Beside him, Fang was chuckling. I had serious doubts on Luce's claims about Fang not being a blood traitor. Bella looked at me sympathetically and mouthed the word 'manipulate him.' I shook my head and mouthed 'I can't. I'm not allowed to do it unless I need it.'

I threw in the juice from the bean and started stirring. "How do you get more juice out of the bean?" Severus whispered to me. I looked around to make sure no one was looking.

"You crush it with the flat side of the dagger," I whispered back. He nodded and did as I told him. "And stir it seven times counter clockwise before stirring it clockwise once. Then repeat."

"But it says stir counter clockwise for the entire time," he hissed. I shrugged.

"I generally don't go wrong when it comes to potions, but if you don't want to believe me, that's your problem. Besides, I thought we weren't reading out of the book." He seemed to have a mental debate for a few moments, and then did as I told him. After seeing that his potion was the same pale lilac color as described on the board, he cracked open his book and wrote what I told him on the instructions for our potion.

"Thanks, Max," he whispered. I smiled.

"No problem." Our potions were identical now.

"Time is up!" announced Slughorn. "Who would like to show me their potions first?" Severus and I meekly raised our hands. Slughorn shook his head. "I'm saving the two of you for last. That's for not using your books." James smirked at me. Okay, now Bella's suggestion to manipulate him didn't sound too bad now.

"I understand that this might be a bit hard to make, but I had hoped that at least some of you could complete this," he said, walking around. "I must say, Lily, you have gotten that nice shade of deep purple. That is rather good for a fourth year." He smiled at her. "Keep it up." She beamed.

"Now, now, now, let's gather around and see what Ms. Ride and Mr. Snape have made for us without their books," he said grandly. Guess who got front row seats to watch me fail? You guessed it, James Potter. But when Slughorn looked into our cauldrons, he gasped and then smiled.

"Well, well, well, the two of you are quite fine potion makers, I must say. Best results in the class and no book involved! Very impressive, Ms. Ride and Mr. Snape. Full points." Now we beamed.

"Perfect score in Slughorns class; that's almost unheard of!" babbled Lily to Severus as we all left the classroom. "And this is advanced stuff, Sev! You're amazing!" He blushed but I could tell he liked the attention.

"Perfect score, almost unheard of," a voice behind me mimicked. Guess who? Yup, James. He didn't see me though. "What does she see in him?" he asked his friends.

"A whole lot more than she sees in you," I shot back.

"Who asked you?" he snarled.

"You did," I snapped. "What's your problem? You can't stand the fact that Lily likes someone other than you?"

"She could do better," he said simply.

"She is doing better," I said irritably. "She's not dating you. That's a great improvement from your fan girls." Around me, my fellow Slytherins were hooting.

"Yeah, go Max!" shouted Luce above all the commotion.

The best part? Professor McGonagall came around the corner just in time to hear James yell "You bitch!" at me. Guess who got detention? Don't you just love these guessing games?

* * *

"Max." I was stopped by a soft voice. Lexus. "I was wondering if you would like to join the ranks of the Death Eaters? If you start now, you would be placed in a higher spot amongst the Death Eaters when you leave school. I've got a place among them when I leave."

"Um, Lexus…" I wondered if it would be a good idea to tell her that I already started a LONG time ago. Nah. "Sure, I'll join." She smiled at me.

"Go to the seventh floor corridor exactly a month from now, seven p.m., and think about the ranks of the Death Eaters. You'll see a door there. Feel free to invite any people you think trustworthy and a possible asset to the Death Eaters."

* * *

"Hey, you're Max, right?" I turned to see a tallish boy with dark hair approach me. I nodded.

"Yeah. What is it to you?"

"I'm Laurence, Slytherin Keeper. Our team captain, Lionel, has been looking for a Seeker. We haven't had a decent seeker in years; it's amazing how we keep winning. So, we were wondering if you might try out to be our Seeker."

"Why me?" I asked. "Why not someone else?"

He shrugged. "You're new here. There's always a chance that you're an amazing Seeker, the one we're looking for. There doesn't seem like there's anyone else that fits the position and if you don't do it, we'll have to use Mr. Dark-n'-Dramatic."

I giggled. "Who?"

"Oh, you don't know, do you?" he asked, amused. "That's what we call Fang Ride. Mr. Dark-n'-Dramatic. He's one of the Chasers. He never says anything and doesn't listen to us. Ever. We've wondered if he was deaf but we figured he wasn't because then he'd never be able to communicate with his blind brother."

"That's rude," I reprimanded with a hint of a grin.

"Sorry, _mom_." I laughed and shoved him lightly. "So, Max, I'm supposed to hold trials. Do you want to come?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt. When should I come?"

"Now if you can. I'll practice with you right now if you'd like." He seemed nice enough.

"Alright then. I'll go grab my broom. And I have no idea where the Quidditch pitch is," I admitted. He smiled at me.

"That's okay. I'll show you where everything is. Just get your broom and come."

* * *

The Quidditch pitch was HUGE. All I'm going to say.

"You'll catch flies in your mouth," laughed Laurence. "If you want to get some practice done before dark, we better get started. Try to catch this." He threw a golf ball in the air. It was all I could do to not spread out my wings and fly towards it that way. I mounted my broom and shot up and swiped the little ball out of the air. Laurence let out a low whistle. "Very impressive, Max," he said as I landed. "Now try to catch these!"

"Those are NOT normal golf balls!" I exclaimed as I encased the little orb of raw energy in my hands.

"Of course they're not. We're training you, aren't we? They're supposed to avoid you."

"Then how am I supposed to catch one?" I shouted.

"How would I know? I'm a Keeper, not a Seeker. I'd imagine that you have to outwit the Snitch."

"You're not helping a whole lot here, Laurence!" I yelled, pouring on the speed. _Faster_, I thought, reaching for the ball. Three inches, two inches, one…I could feel myself shooting though air…

"Max!" I jumped, startled.

"What?" I yelled back. He looked white faced. I angled myself down and landed gracefully. "What?" I repeated.

"You-you can fly?"

"Well, yeah. Why are you so surprised? Can't you fly?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Not like _that_." He pointed to something behind me. I looked over to where he was pointing. There wasn't anything strange. Nothing except for the _giant feather covered wings_ that were connected to my back. Shit…

"Um…" I tried to think of an excuse.

"Max, you have wings."

"They're fake," I said quickly.

"You can fly with them," he accused. I was so dead.

"You can't tell anyone," I whispered urgently, tucking my wings back in. "Please, Laurence. This is a life or death secret."

He sighed. "Fine. Does anyone else know?"

"My dad and some of my family friends." Like Luce and Bella. And (gag,) Cissy.

"What's it like to have wings?"

"It's hard to explain. It's like everywhere I go I know I've got a higher chance of surviving because I can take off at any moment. It's also the glory of being able to be free, but I don't need a broomstick to do so. And it's a wonderful feeling, pumping your wings, free." I turned to him. "What's it like to not have wings?"

"It's like you're trapped," he said after a long pause. "You can't just leave when you want to and you're always stuck and never free." He turned to me. "You can't do crap without your broom, and when you fall off, you fall off."

"Ouch. Have you ever fallen off?" I asked. He nodded.

"Once as a kid and once as a second year," he said. "Broke my wrist the first time and snapped a few ribs the second."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He smiled at me. "It's okay Max." We sat there in silence for a few moments. "Tell me about your family, Max."

"I'm technically an only child, but our family friends all live with us since we've got such a big house. I call them my aunts, uncles, and siblings."

"Not cousins?"

"No–too formal," I explained. "So there's me, my 'brothers' Lionel, Lucius, Regulus, and Severus, and my sisters, Andromeda, Bellatrix, and Narcissa."

"Lionel's your brother? Sounds like you've got a secure chance of making the team. And Bitchy Cissy? Your sister is bitchy Cissy? I feel bad for you now. What about your parents?"

"Um, there's my dad, Tom, and there's my late mum Aella."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know. Besides," I added, grinning, "I never really knew that I was supposed to have a mum until dad explained it to me. What's your family like?"

"I have no family worth mentioning."

"What do you mean? I hate Cissy but I've got to mention her. Laurence…"

"I'm disowned," he said at last. "My former parents, Calvin and Katherine Prewett wanted nothing to do with me as soon as I was sorted into Slytherin. They kicked me out like they kicked out one of my older sisters all those years ago, just because she was a Slytherin. My former cousin, James Potter, seems to find it entertaining to remind me that I have no family." He looked at me with those sad, bitter blue eyes. "As soon as I'm out of school, I'm going to show them that I have to power to do things. I can make a difference. I'll join the Death Eaters or something. Won't be able to do much other than torture and kill but I'll figure it out. I'll do something amazing soon that'll make the Prefects offer me a spot in the ranks of the Death Eaters."

"Or you could just crash their meeting…"

"But I don't know when or where it is," he said irritably. "Unless…"

"Unless…?"

"Max, did you join?" he asked. I nodded. "Could I come with you?"

"I don't see why not…"

"Great," he said, grinning. "It's getting dark. We better go in."

"It's been nice working with you, Laurence."

"You too, Max. And I promise not to tell anyone." He kissed me on the forehead and left, leaving me more confused than ever.

* * *

I woke up from another dream. This time, I was maybe seven years old and the unknown dark haired friend was by my side, fighting wolf-like creatures with me. They had a name, I knew, but I couldn't remember it. I couldn't control any of my own actions; my seven year old self controlled them for me.

"Run, Max!" he yelled.

"I'm not leaving you alone!" I yelled back, throwing a right hook at the nearest wolf mutation. I kicked it in the groin and it fell.

"Please, Max! I can't lose you again!"

"What do you mean, again?" I shouted back. "I never lost you in the first place. Not really." I hesitated for a moment, looking at a wolf mutation that resembled a little kid I once knew. He was Mr. Braham's boss's son. And just like that, the mutations had a name. _Erasers_. Created to kill people like me and my winged friends. And at that quick moment, I had actual control of my dream body. "What's your name?" I yelled to him.

He had an anguished look on his face. "My name is–" And then I got socked in the head and woke up. Ironic, isn't it?

* * *

I made it onto the Quidditch team, to Laurence's great delight.

"Told you so," he said, ruffling my hair. "You'll probably be better than Bree and she's the only good Seeker we've had in years!" Brenna was Laurence's older sister, the one that was disowned. I giggled, playfully swatting away his hand.

"You were amazing, little sister," laughed Lionel who was a Beater. Luce, a Chaser, grinned at me too.

"Like Lionel said, amazing, sister," he said, hugging me. I was the only girl on the entire team. Don't I feel special? From the stands, Bella and the twins cheered for me.

"And this is Vladimir Selwyn, Chaser. His brother, Dracula Selwyn, is a Beater." Laurence was introducing me to the team. "And here is Mr. Dark-n'-Dangerous, I mean, Fang…"

Fang looked at me coldly. "I supposed it's a relief that I no longer have to hide my skills because of the lack of someone who can catch a flying walnut," he said coolly before leaving the changing rooms.

"Jeez, what'd you do to tick him off like that?" asked Laurence. I shrugged.

"Is he bi-polar?"

Laurence shook his head. "He may be quiet, intimidating, mysterious, and rude, but he is defiantly not bi-polar. He's nice to his family, but downright rude to the rest of us. But what he just did to you, that's what usually starts in-house rivalry. Don't worry," he said quickly, seeing my scared face. "In the case that this goes beyond a slight trifle, you've got a lot more friends than he does. You'll be adored by the majority, unlike Cissy."

"Why does everyone hate Cissy?" I asked.

"Why do _you_ hate Cissy?"

"Because sisters are supposed to hate each other, aren't they?" I asked.

"You and Bella are sisters," he said, amused.

"Cissy and I, we got off on the wrong foot. And she hated me first because I'm Luce's friend."

"Luce?"

"Lucius; Luce is for short," I explained.

"Oh. The thing is, when the king and/or queen of each year in Slytherin hate someone, everyone hates that person. The king and queen are the two people with the most power and are respected by most. It's almost like popularity, but blood and connections are very important too. They can be over thrown, yes, but it's very hard because they are generally very intimidating. Sometimes, there is a replacement, usually done from one of the friends of the king or queen, seeing as their close friends are also very well respected. Some call them the princes and princesses. They move up the scale of respect very easily."

"Who are the king and queen of fourth year?"

"Why, Max. I surprised you would ask," he said, with some surprise on his carefully composed face. "Bellatrix and Lucius. Of course, you could probably surpass Bellatrix and become queen easily. Manipulation can do great things, Max."

"They're king and queen?" I gasped. And all this time, I thought they were just…them.

"It doesn't mean they're together or anything, but it's very common," he said quickly. "You're a princess, aren't you? You're one of their closer friends. And you aren't exactly with a prince. Right?" I shook my head.

"Still single."

"I thought so. Some people, like Jay and Orin, are with princesses but are also princes themselves. When they break up, they are all still prince and princesses, although, I must add, there might be much tension."

"Yeah, but Luce and Cissy…"

"…are together, yes. But that doesn't mean that he has to like her." Laurence smiled grimly at me. "Not everyone's a free spirit like me. When I'm all grown up, I can be with whoever I'd like. It's rare for a pureblood, even rarer for a pureblood Slytherin, but I've got no family to choose for me. Well, except for Bree but she doesn't care as long as I'm with another pureblood. If I'm not," he shrugged like it didn't matter. "She'll disown me from her nearly nonexistent family (consisting of only her and her husband and me) and I'll go my own way."

"You've got a pretty nice life there."

"Yeah, I suppose," he said with a weary sigh. "What about you? Are you a free spirit or are you with someone?"

"Free spirit, all the way," I said with a grin. "Dad would hate for me to be miserable with someone he picked out for me when I was a baby."

"Hmm, Tom Ride…" Laurence seemed to be deep in thought. "I've never heard of him before. Unless…Max? Do you by any chance have a slight variation to your last name? Something different than your father's?"

"Um, yeah. Mine is missing two letters–"

"–'d' and 'l'; am I right?" I simply nodded and he cursed under his breath.

"Should have known," he muttered. "Only Voldemort's daughter would be able to manipulate."

Shoot…he knew…


	3. Mini Death Eaters

"You can't tell anyone," I hissed quietly, putting on a face so hate-filled that even father would be proud of. "Not if you value your life." His face was shocked and pale.

"M-m-max, I won't, I promise!"

"Good," I said darkly. It was almost a snarl. Sure, right now, he might be thinking that I was a complete lunatic. That I was bi-polar. That the entire happiness act was just that: an act. But it didn't matter right now. Heck, if it meant that the secret of my father was just that, a secret, it would never matter what he thought of me. But…

Just because I was my father's daughter, it didn't mean I had to be EXACTLY like him. I was no murderer. I was no bald albino. I was just Max…

"Laurence, what's your reasoning for getting into Slytherin?" I asked suddenly, snapping out of my trance. He looked uncomfortable.

"Injecting thoughts into other people's heads," he admitted. "You're not mad, are you? I mean, you're still the same person to me as you were before…"

"Oh, I'm not mad about that," I snarled, though this time, I forced some light into my tone. "But calling my father a bald albino? Now that's going too far."

He caught on to my relaxation. "What? At least you're not Sirius Black. His initials are S.O.B."

"He is one, although his mother isn't," I said, laughing. He laughed along with me and we headed back into the castle, arm in arm.

* * *

Although Laurence finding out that I was my father's daughter was a rather big and important event in my life, my education at Hogwarts continued semi-peacefully. It would have been completely peaceful, had Fang not existed.

"Would you just _go away_?" I practically screeched at him. "What is your _problem_? Why can't you just _leave me alone_?"

"If you would just have a civilized conversation with me, I'd leave you alone!" he snapped back.

"I don't want to talk with you!" I snarled. I spun on my heals and stalked towards where my friends were sitting and looking on at the fight sympathetically. Except for Laurence, that is, who knew me too well; more than I was comfortable with in fact.

"You don't want sympathy, do you," he inquired with a slightly questioning look. I gave him 'the look' which meant that he was right but I didn't exactly appreciate his knowing. "What? Is knowing things a problem in life?"

"No," I admitted. "But knowing _too_ much is."

He snorted. "I don't know enough to write a story about you."

"You know," the twins murmured thoughtfully. "The way you and Fang fight, it's kind of like how James and Lily fight. Or, at least, that's what it looks like to us…"

"Please," Lily snorted. "I'm insulted. The way that arrogant toe-rag and I fight is much worse, trust me," she said, calmly sipping her tea. Normally, she hates tea, but we ran out of coffee. And an un-caffeinated Lily is a grouchy Lily.

"Tonight's the first meeting of the year for the rank of the Death Eaters," murmured Luce discreetly just loud enough so I could hear all the while making it look like he was looking for someone over my shoulder. "I am assuming that either Alex or Lexus informed you of this?"

"Lexus did," I murmured back, reaching for the pitcher of pumpkin juice on the other side of Luce.

"Are you going to tell her who you really are?"

"I think she's noticed that I'm Max, thank you very much," I hissed.

"Not that," he muttered back with a hint irritation in his voice. "Who your father is, of course." I stiffened under his accusing glare.

"They don't need to know," I whispered. "They'd look at me…differently." He chuckled under his breath.

"If you're trying to stay, err, _hidden_, you're doing a rather bad job at it."

"Luce, I have my own game plan to get more recruits and being known as my father's daughter is _defiantly_ not part of it."

"So, tell me, _Max_, what is your game plan?"

"Easy. Become respected amongst other Slytherins, gain their trust, and convince them all to join ―"

"And what about the Rides? Having them on our side could easily sway the results of the war."

"I'm friends with Angel."

Luce nodded. "There's a start," he murmured encouragingly. "But what about everyone else? Like Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy? And Fang?

I scowled. "Fang can rot in Hell for all I care. He won't stop getting of my friggin nerves."

"Max," he chided gently. "He gets on everybody's nerves. And besides, your mission was to get them. Not complain about how annoying they are."

"He never said to get them in specific. He just said―oh. Angry girlfriend alert." We instantly looked like we weren't paying attention to each other as Cissy approached.

"Lucius," she crooned. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Um," he shot me a pleading look. "I'd rather not."

"Why? It's because of Max, isn't it?" she snarled in her little-girl voice.

"There's Quidditch practice later today," I said. "Lionel is being a pessimist."

"Either that or he's just really paranoid," said a cheerful voice from being me. "Good morning, Max."

"Hi Laurence," I said with a grin. "Do you want to get down to the Quidditch pitch? Before Lionel explodes?"

"Sure. I'm not in the mood to listen to another 'The reason why we aren't winning every match is because I'm the only one who always show up on time' lecture. He chewed us out last time enough to last my life."

"And we were all drenched by the time he was done."

"Half in spit, half in sweat! C'mon Max. He'll start chewing us out for taking our sweet time." And with that, Laurence and I left the Great hall.

"It's a Hogsmeade day?" I asked once we had reached the empty pitch. He nodded.

"Yup. First one of the year and we're stuck in Quidditch practice."

"Good morning Laurence," yelled a voice from up in the air. "Good morning Max. How's my sister from another mister?"

"Hey Laurence!" I yelled back, squinting at the bright sunlight. "How's my brother from another mother?"

"Answer mine first and then I'll answer yours."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"I'm a bit peeved, to be honest with you. No else has shown up for practice."

"Lucius Malfoy is defiantly showing up for practice; I guarantee it," shouted Laurence to Lionel. "Unless he wants to sneak around Hogsmeade and try to avoid the wrath of Cissy."

Lionel sighed. "Is Cissy being over protective again?"

"She's always over protective, Lionel!" I exclaimed. "When is she _not_?"

He smiled ruefully as he landed on the sparkling dew-sprinkled grass. "I suppose. Which reminds me. Could I have a word with you, Laurence? In private? We'll be in the changing rooms, Max." He looked at me pointedly and I understood. I waited until they were out of sight and ran into a shadow, reappearing in the changing rooms.

The first thing Lionel did once they arrive was look around for me. I waved just so he could see but Laurence could not. 'You'll thank me for this,' he mouthed at me. Then he turned to Laurence and began to chew him out.

"What's going on between you and my little sister?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" stuttered Laurence in surprise.

"I'm not blind. Every time you look at her, it's like she's the only thing worth living for. So tell me what's a sixth year like you doing goggling over my _little sister_. She's just a fourth year, Laurence, despite how tall she is."

"I knew that," he said, flinching. "We're just friends."

Lionel's eyes narrowed. "No way. To her, maybe you guys are just friends. I can't tell. Fourteen years I've known her and she's been able to hide her feeling pretty good. You, on the other hand, I've known for much shorted and yet, here I am, being able to tell that to you, you're more than friends. Spill."

"No way." Lionel picked him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"I suggest you spill before I 'accidently' hurt you too much." I nearly burst out of the shadows and begged Lionel to let Laurence go but Laurence was faster.

"Okay! Fine! You win!" Laurence said at last. "I kind of, sort of, maybe like her more than just friends. Happy?"

"No, not really," Lionel muttered, pointing one beefy finger and Laurence's chest. "You hurt my little sister and there'll be Hell to pay, got it?"

"I'd never hurt her!" he cried. Lionel just snorted.

"That's what they all say. Now, we're going to head back out to the Quidditch pitch and pretend like nothing happened, understood?" Laurence nodded frantically. "Good. Now, we just went to discuss team strategy in here and nothing else. You are not to mention this to Max, no matter what. Let's go." Lionel winked at me and I shadow traveled back to the pitch and hopped onto my broom, pretending like I had been practicing this whole time.

"Hey, what did I miss?"

"Not much, just so team strategy," Lionel lied smoothly, even if it was just for Laurence's benefit. "Been practicing, I see. Did Lucius arrive yet?"

I shook my head. "You can't blame him. It's hard, trying to get away from Cissy."

"True. But everyone else is gone. So I guess this mean a lot more chewing. You can ditch the next practice session if you'd like. I'll be yelling at the rest of them anyways. But first, let's test Laurence on his keeping skills, shall we?"

So this was how we spent practice, throwing a Quaffle repeatedly at Laurence. He was pretty good, I had to admit. He blocked nearly all of them. Lucius showed up at some point and chucked a few Quaffles too. The only one Laurence missed was the one where Luce had thrown the Quaffle and Laurence, while trying to get it, crashed into a stray bird. Lionel chewed him out a bit for that but otherwise, practice was fine. We even tested my Snitch catching skills (which were amazing, if I do say so myself), Luce's Quaffle throwing skills, and Lionel's beating skill. One of the Bludgers _might_ have made a hole in the ground about two feet deep. But if Madame Hooch asks, we're all denying it.

* * *

"Seventh floor corridor, seventh floor corridor, where the bleep is that fricken corridor?"

"Language, Max," Laurence muttered.

"Don't bother," Lucius was saying. "She'll never listen."

"Hey, look, it's a portrait of Barnabas the Barmy," I said. The boys looked at me strangely.

"Who?"

"Barnabas the Barmy," I repeated. "He's this wizard who was probably on crack and tried to teach trolls how to ballet dance." Personally, I thought that guy was a bit of a nutcase and rather amusing. However, only one word registered to the boys.

"Crack?" asked Laurence. "What's that?"

"It's an illegal substance; a drug."

"What's a drug?" Luce inquired.

"It's what makes you drunk," I said patiently.

Laurence brightened in understanding. "Like Firewhiskey?" I mused for a moment then nodded.

"Close enough." I supposed it was a good thing that they never heard of crack, marijuana, or any types of drugs. And of course–

"What was that?" whispered Luce frantically.

"What was what?" I asked softly.

"There was something huge and dark by the window. And then it disappeared."

"Lumos," I murmured and a soft light appeared from the tip of my wand. Luce was right. There _was_ something by the window. And it wasn't a what. It was a who…

"Fang Ride," I said it a bitter, flat tone. "Don't you have better things to do?" He seemed to think about it for a second.

"Nope. And before you ask, the rest of them have nothing else to do either."

"What?" I scanned the darkness for a moment, my eyes lingering on the sparkling Jimmy Choo Halter-back platforms, the pale blond hair, and the two sets of vibrant blue eyes. "Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, I know you're there." There was silence for a moment.

"I _told_ you not to wear sparkly shoes!" Iggy exclaimed.

"But they're _so_ CUTE!" Nudge squealed. "Just look at them! Jimmy Choo–"

"…Halter-back platforms, we know," the rest of them said at the same time.

"We'll talk after the meeting," instructed Fang. They nodded and scurried off. He turned to me. "Ranks of the Death Eaters?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Follow me." He walked over to the wall opposite of the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. "Think about Death Eaters."

As soon as the thought 'ranks of the Death Eaters' crossed my mind, a large door opened up and I gasped. Inside, someone snorted. "Every single newbie has done the same exact thing." Alex poked his head out. "Well, come on in already. I don't bite. Can't say the same for everyone else though."

I took a seat next to Nudge and she immediately started evaluating my outfit.

"OMG! Are those really what I think they are?" she squealed. "Yes they are! Mocha suede boots, so fuzzy." She got this dreamy look in her eyes as she stroked my shoes. "So soft and fuzzy…"

"Nudge, why are you petting Max's shoes?" asked Angel in her sweet little girl voice. "I love your bracelet, by the way."

I smiled at her. "Thanks." I fingered the little heart-shaped charm on the Elsa Peretti sapphire bracelet.

"And that is one awesome Lauren Conrad side-pony tail. Could you do my hair like that?" asked Nudge, now petting my hair.

"Uh, sure."

"You're so amazing, Max," she murmured. "I wish I was like you."

"This meeting is called to order!" announced Alex. "From Seventh year, we have, Lexus Nott, female, Lionel Travers, male, and Niobe Black, female."

"Lexus."

"Lionel."

"Niobe."

"From Sixth year, we have Willow-Brook formerly Prewett, female, Bethany Greengrass, female, Erik Greengrass, male, and Avery Lestrange, male."

"It's Willy, not Willow-Brook, you dunce."

"Bethany."

"Erik."

"Avery."

From Fifth year, we have Matthew Aarons, male, Adrian formerly Potter, female, Piper Goyle, female, Orin Mulciber, male, Jay Carrow, male, and Isaac Brent, male. CaraLena formerly Prewett couldn't make it." Around the room there were sad sighs.

"Matt."

"Adrian."

"Piper."

"Orin."

"Jay."

"Isaac."

"Fourth year, we have Fang Ride, male, Iggy Ride, male, Maximum Ride, female, Lucius Malfoy, male, Severus Snape, male, Lily Evans, female, and Bellatrix Black, female.

"Fang."

"Iggy."

"Max."

"Lucius."

"Severus."

"Lily."

"Bella."

"Third year is Wendell Crabbe, male, Antonin Dolohov, male, Narcissa Black, female, Aella Rowle, female, and Christiana Rowle, female."

"Wendell."

"Antonin."

"Cissy."

"Aella."

"Christiana."

"Second year, we have no Second years, Lexus, why don't we have any Second years?"

Lexus pursed her lips. "You were in charge of recruiting Second years, Alex. First and Second years, in fact. I had to get the rest of them while you got to sit pretty and get the little kids. And look at how much you've accomplished."

"Very funny, Lexus."

"No it's not!" she fumed as she whipped out another list. "For our guests we have Professor Joycelyn Sparrow, female, former Slytherin."

"Joyce."

"Death Eaters in training, Apollo Rosier, male, former Slytherin, and his wife, Sabrina Rosier nee formerly Prewett, female, former Slytherin.

"Apollo."

"Bree."

"From Sixth year, Laurence formerly-Prewett."

"Laurence."

"And from Fourth year, Halo Gibbon, female, and her twin, Contessa Gibbon, also female."

"Halo and Contessa," they both twilled.

"And last but not least, the two youngest Rides."

"Gazzy."

"Angel."

"So we're all here," said Lexus. "Understand that what happens here is not to be repeated to anyone outside this room.

"For generations, the Seventh year prefects of Slytherin have hosted this group of the best of the best. The cream of the crop, as some would say. Those who can support the Dark Lord after we graduate. And one of the best ways to help him is to recruit more followers. But it has always been the responsibility of the prefects to recruit followers. But what if the seventh year prefects aren't good enough for our group?

"The solution? Teach them how to become the best of the best. Of course, Miss Lily Evans, who is not a Slytherin but just as loyal could never be a Slytherin prefect (for obvious reasons) doesn't exactly need to know this but it is best if she does. As I was saying, we are to teach you how to become the best of the best. These bests become prefects and host the Ranks of the Death Eaters and we are safe for another year. Any questions?"

"Just one," said Laurence. "Does the Dark Lord have a son or daughter?" I looked at him in shock. He just winked at me.

"Yes, he does. A daughter in her early teens. And you are not here to get a girlfriend."

"Well, how do you know this?"

"He contacts us and our parents at times," Alex said stiffly. "She supposedly arrived at Hogwarts this year. We haven't had much luck finding her."

"What about–"

"That's enough, Laurence," snapped Lexus. She turned to Bree. "You're Laurence's sister, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am," she trilled in her surprisingly girlish voice that didn't quite match up with her dark blood-red hair, pale skin, black lips, Gothic look, and blue eyes nearly identical to Laurence's.

"You aren't CaraLena and Willow-Brook's sister, are you?"

"It's Willy!" snarled Willy, Willow-Brook, whatever her name is.

Bree let out a high-pitched girly giggle. "No, not at all! Cara and Willy are my cousins and also part of my family to me." So that made Willy and CaraLena Laurence's cousin too. They were probably also disowned.

"Anyways, since it _is_ the first meeting of the year, we'll introduce ourselves to each other," announced Alex. "I'll go first. My name is Alexander Nott, but I prefer to be called Alex. I have two sisters, Lexus, my younger twin, and Aphrodite, my older sister who we call Phrodie. I can change thoughts in other people's minds to make it seem like something was never there. Lexus?"

"I am Alexius Nott, younger twin of Alex and I prefer to be called Lexus. And I can do the exact opposite of what Alex can do. And do we have to do this? Wouldn't it just be easier if we just walked around introducing ourselves?"

Lexus won that argument so we were now walking around, talking to each other.

"Bree, this is Max, the girl I told you about."

"Hi Bree."

"Hello, Max." Bree had a voice very similar to Angel's. I could only tell the difference when they talked one after the other. Angel's sounded young while Bree's voice was just high pitched.

"Willy generally doesn't get that pissed off when you call her Willow-Brook, in case you were wondering," Laurence was saying. "It's just that we ran into her parents the day before school started and they were being all friendly and loving and Will just got so mad because she knew it was all just an act. She says that if they really loved her, she wouldn't be disowned." He sighed. "It's torture for her. She has to live every day knowing that she's her parent's daughter. Her name's just a reminder."

"How come?" I asked. He smiled a twisted smile.

"Her parents were masterminds, incorporating a memory into her name like that, knowing that it'd be a constant reminder of something she owed them. Her mom's name is Willow and her dad's name is Brook."

"Telling her about my name again?" asked a bitter voice from behind. I turned to see a cheerful Willy grinning down at us. "Scared, weren't you? I can make myself sound mad when I'm not. Bree sometimes hates me for it." She sat down next to me. "So, you're the famous Maximum Ride everyone's been talking about. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Will."

"Can I talk to you alone, Max?" She looked pointedly at Laurence.

"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered and went to join his sister. I looked back at Will.

"I'll be very blunt about this. You're the Dark Lord's daughter, aren't you?" she whispered. My face drained of all blood. "Don't worry, I won't tell. And Laurence didn't tell either, before you jump to conclusions. I read you aura when Laurence mentioned the Dark Lord's children."

"You can read auras?" I asked in surprise. She nodded.

"It's my skill. It's probably not enough to become a great Death Eater, but I'll take my chances." She looked a bit distant. "I really want to be an elite Death Eater. Best of the best of the best." She looked sideways at me. "You wouldn't by any chance be able to pull some string with your dad, could you?"

"I could if I wanted to," I said thoughtfully.

"Would you?" she begged. "Please?"

Reading auras was a pretty powerful talent. "Yeah, I will," I said slowly. She squealed and hugged me while jumping up and down.

"Thank you so, so, so, so, so, SO much!" she squealed while I gasped for air. One down, a zillion more Death Eater recruits to go.

* * *

"I'm no good at Charms!" grumbled Bella irritably. All of us, minus Lily, were sitting in the Slytherin common room.

"Hey, don't look at us," said the twins quickly.

"Well, I _need_ help on my Charms homework," I whined desperately.

"Go ask Fang Ride!" Luce practically yelled. He had his face shoved in a pillow. Cissy had been here a few minute earlier and he was recovering from the fright feast.

"No way!" I snarled. "No freakin way I'm asking Fang Ride to help me with my Charms homework."

"Why not? He's the best in our year." I glared at where Fang was sitting on the green and gold loveseat.

"Because he annoys the heck out of me," I pouted.

"Just give him a chance," Halo and Contessa were saying.

"What the twins said," muttered Bella. "Give him a chance."

I glared at them but they just looked at me. "Fine! I'll give him a chance." I stalked over to where Fang was sitting. He looked up from his book.

"Yes?"

"Could you help me on my Charms homework?" I practically pleaded, not caring that this was the Fang Ride I was talking to.

"Certainly," he said quietly, closing his book and placing it on the table. "Why don't you have a seat?" I looked at the little loveseat and felt appalled. "I meant, pull up a chair and we'll talk."

I plopped down onto the couch next to his and looked at him expectantly. "How on earth and planets otherwise does one manage to cast a Bubble-Head charm?"

"It is not the simplest spell, I'll admit. Point your wand to your head and say _Bublio_. Think of fresh air while you say it."

I thought of the clean, crisp air at the Quidditch pitch back home and murmured, "Bublio." Instantly, a bubble formed around my head with the scent of the Quidditch pitch. Even the fresh grassy scent was captured. Fang took his wand and poked the bubble using the tip and suddenly the smell of home was gone.

"There are also variations of this spell. If you think of, for example, chocolate chip cookies, while casting the spell, you'll smell chocolate chip cookies in your bubble," he was saying.

"And how about the shield charm?"

"_Protego_, with a louder 'tey'," he explained. "This is one of the few charms where your mind is not involved."

"Pro_TE_go," I repeated. "Got it. Now how about…" We continued working for the rest of the night. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because I started dreaming.

* * *

"Don't you know me?" asked my dark friend. He was older now, but I couldn't see his face clearly. He was skinny but sculpted with muscle and somewhat pale in the moon's light.

"Who are you, really?" I asked. "Where can I find you?"

"I'm looking for you. But I can't find you either," he murmured sadly. "But I can feel that you are close, very close."

"How close? I want to know who you are!"

"I want to know who you are too," he murmured. "We're really close. Closer than we ever were before. Find me." And then he was gone.

* * *

"I don't want breakfast," I muttered to whoever was trying to wake me up. "Really, I mean it. And I don't care if I'll be hungry later." The person just kept shaking me. "I don't care if it makes me fat. Build a boat and sail away. Or better yet, don't build a boat and drown. See if I care." Whoever it was chuckled.

"It's six a.m. and you've already got an attitude." My eyes shot open and I nearly shrieked. I fell asleep on _Fang_.

"What the Hell?" I hissed.

"How would I know? One moment this mysterious friend from the past is visiting me, the next moment I'm trapped under you. What did you eat for breakfast? Rocks?"

"I didn't have breakfast yet," I grumbled.

"And no one else has either. Which means that no one saw us. Now how about you get off of me before they do?"

"Gladly." I rolled off of him, landing gently on my feet. I grabbed my stuff and stormed up into the girl's dormitory. There, Willy was sitting by a window and talking to a girl I hadn't met before. She saw me and smiled.

"Hi Max! This is my little sister, CaraLena." I did a double take. CaraLena looked nothing like Willy. Willy had darkly tanned skin, hazel eyes, long dark greenish-brown hair, and a tall, willowy build whereas CaraLena had pale peaches-and-cream skin, super-electric-lime-green eyes and a lot of eyeliner and mascara, and scene hair that looked a bit like a tabby cat's fur.

That when I realized that she was really cat-like. Her long silvery fingernails were sharpened into points, her ears weren't at the sides of her head, but peaking out at the top with their little points, her eyes had slits instead of pupils, and the long furry thing that I saw probably wasn't a giant dancing caterpillar.

"Surprised?" asked CaraLena cheerfully. "No one ever expects to see a girl look like a cat."

"Were you–"

"Born that way?" She was smiling and her tone was light but there was just almost this twinge of bitterness underlying. "Yeah, I was."

"How?"

She looked away. "DNA experimenting. Because of a company called Itex. I'm more than ten percent cat, unfortunately, which means that a lot of the cat feature show. My parents…" She trailed off. "My parents opted for a small experiment, not one that would make me see in the dark and claw at people when they got too close. When I was born, they were disgusted. They wanted to leave me to science and tell Willy that I was stillborn. Tell Laurence, Bree, Courtney, Mary, and Alfonzo; feed them lies. But they just _had_ to bring me home. Just to prove that they really were good people.

"Willow and Brook Prewett, I'll admit, were nice parents, up until Bree got sorted into Slytherin. Courtney, Alfonzo, and Mary, the Head Girl, Head Boy, and a Fifth year prefect, were disgusted, as was the rest of the family. Aunt Katherine and Uncle Calvin disowned her days later. She just sort of lived at the orphanage during the summer.

"But mom and dad thought she was a traitor. They warned Willy and me to never become anything like Bree. 'But they're our parent!' Willy had said. 'They love us!' Or so we had thought.

"When Willy and Laurence got to be sorted, they begged to be in Slytherin. To prove that they were really better and that Bree, despite being in Slytherin, wasn't a traitor. Willow and Brook and Calvin and Katherine came a few days later, gave them sweet, fake smiles, and disowned them and forbade me to visit them, thinking that they were a bad influence. The year Willy and Laurence came to Hogwarts was the loneliest year of my life.

"By this time, Bree had already graduated, Head Girl and the top of her class. She had her own job at Borgin's and Burke's and a little apartment in London. So Willy and Laurence went to live with her during the summer.

"I looked up to Willy, Laurence, and Bree so I decided to aim for Slytherin. And, of course, I got in. This time, my parents didn't even bother coming. They just sent me an owl saying 'You're disowned! That's for getting into Slytherin!' I cried myself to sleep for days after that owl." By this time, it was light out and people were starting to wake up.

"It's time we got down to breakfast," said Willy at last. She got up and left. I stayed sitting with CaraLena while she gazed out the window.

"Sometimes," she murmured softly, "I would give anything for my parents to be Death Eaters. Anything to keep me from the possibility of killing them someday."

* * *

"So, where were you last night?" asked the twins. "We were _going_ to shove it into your face that Fang Ride isn't that bad but you never came up. What happened?"

"I fell asleep in the Common room," I admitted.

"With _Fang_?"

I snorted. "Of course not," I lied. "He was going to get something from his dorm room and I was so tired that I fell asleep before he got back."

"Yeah, sure you did."

"Oh, come on, guys," complained Bella. "It's already bad enough that she had to study with him and now the two of you are pestering her about it?"

"Because they're Halo and Contessa," said Orin, swooping down to kiss Halo on the mouth. They soon got a little carried away and I threw a scone at them.

"Knock it off," I grumbled. "I'm not in the mood for it today."

"Alas, dear Max, you are never in the mood for such shows of romance," said Orin dramatically. "I assure you, when you get your own soul mate, I'll be there to pelt you with my breakfast whenever you put on a display of extreme affection."

"Says the guy who claims he hates old English," I muttered. He shrugged.

"I can be fabulous if I want to."

"Yeah," agreed Jay. "Fabulously pig headed."

_Whack_.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"I think you know. Hey, here comes dear King Malfoy. All bow down to him," Orin joked.

Luce cracked a weak grin. I looked at him sympathetically. "Cissy?" He nodded.

"Yeah, Cissy. She wants to go to Hogsmeade with me today but we've got Quidditch practice."

"But Lionel said we could ditch because we went last time," I said, confused. Luce looked around quickly for Cissy.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," he murmured with a wink. "So, who's up for a visit to the Three Broomsticks?"

"How are you going to avoid Cissy?" asked the twins in surprise. Luce gave me puppy dog eyes.

"Can I please, please, please borrow your invisibility cloak?"

* * *

**I just realized that I've been spelling Gryffondor 'Gryphondor.' Oh well. I don't want to change it. Deal with it. :P**

Reviewers, you guys are awesome and make my day every time I see in my Gmail that you reviewed and for new readers, I'm just thrilled each time I see that you've favorite the story (and sometimes me ;) or you've added this to your story alert. You people rock. :D (But please, don't slack on the reviews.)


	4. You're not the only Mutant

**I love music. :) So here's a quick overview of what I've been listening to:**

**Impossible-Shontelle  
Dj's got us falling in love again-Usher  
Read Between the Lines-KSM**

**(Hey, Cara! If you're reading this, it means I've been too lazy to send you a list of my music recommendations.)**

So here we were in Hogsmeade with Luce in my invisibility cloak. We had seen Cissy once and Luce nearly screamed bloody murder until he remembered that he was invisible. You should have seen his face. (Or, since he was invisible after all, not seen his face.)

"Ooh, sugar quill!" the twins squealed and skittered off to the depths of Honeydukes, Orin and Jay in tow.

"We'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks in an hour!" Jay shouted, struggling against Contessa's vice-like grip.

"See you there!" I yelled back and turned to Lily, Sev, Bella, and the invisible Luce. "Where do we go now?"

"We can go to the post office," Luce quietly suggested. "I need to drop off a letter preferably _before_ I lose it."

The post office was a quaint little place filled with owls and dust. Luce gave a letter to the witch working there and dived under the cloak again.

"Where to next," asked Lily. I looked around at the many shops around Hogsmeade and one of them caught my eye.

"Spintwitches Sporting Goods," I said with a grin. Sev groaned. With the many characteristics that Sev and I shared, like the love of potions, for example, loving Quidditch was defiantly not one of them.

"How about you and Lucius go and we can go someplace else?" he practically begged. I sighed and waved him off. To my great disappointment, he wasn't the only one who looked beyond relieved.

Like many of them other shops in Hogsmeade, Spintwitches was dusty and had some customers from Hogwarts, mostly Quidditch players and their friends. Or in Laurence's case, his cousins.

"Max!" squealed CaraLena. "Hi! Care to save me from boredom?"

"What?"

She groaned. "Laurence and Willy have dragged me through every nook and corner and mysteriously undiscovered rooms of this store. And I am so bored."

"Quidditch is a wonderful pastime," Laurence argued. CaraLena just rolled her eyes.

"But I see that Quidditch hasn't made you any nicer. See, Max is nice. She understands that her friends and family members don't like Quidditch and let them go elsewhere whereas you are a great big meanie and have to drag me along." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine, CaraLena. You can go wherever you want but we're staying here," Laurence said at last. "And you aren't due to meet your friends for another forty-five minutes."

"I'll go with Max," she said, her head held high.

"Hey! Don't corrupt Max into a Quidditch-hater!" he yelled.

"I wasn't planning to, but maybe I will!" She grabbed my arm and tugged me out of the shop. Luce must have noticed my leaving because I felt a brush of nonexistent fabric on my leg as I was flung out the door.

"Why do you hate Quidditch so much?" I asked her once she had let go. She was really strong. I all guess animal mutations have that. CaraLena sighed.

"I don't hate it. I'm just scared of it, I guess."

"Scared? How could you be scared of Quidditch? It's not like you're playing."

"I used to," she admitted. "In my Third year. I was the only girl on the team, kind of like you. But I was a Beater. Because I was really strong, you know. Stronger than even the bulkiest boys in our year. Being part animal does that to you.

"It happened during one of the last games of the year. I had just hit the Bludger at Toe-rag Potter when it happened. I was watching Laurence block a hoop and then someone rammed me through with their broom. There was a hole on the left side of my stomach with the broomstick through it. And to make matters worse, I fell off. I ended up in St. Mungo's with about two broken ribs, a punctured lung, a few cracks in my skull, a broken arm, and a great big hole where the broom went in. I was supposed to die the day it happened. But of course," she smiled grimly, "I am an animal mutation. I heel fast.

"And then I quit Quidditch. Resigned my post. Our team captain was really sad because he really liked my being there. Willy resigned being a Chaser out of pity and loyalty. Laurence, well, he was just so happy there. So we made him stay. But Willy and I, neither of us has been back on the team since."

"I'd say I was sorry, if I didn't know better," I said at last. She looked at me in surprise. "I can see that you don't want sympathy. You want reasons, you want results, not excuses and not sympathy."

"How, how…?"

"Because you're like me. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks or something. I'm supposed to meet some of my friends there."

"So am I," she admitted. "I'll introduce you to them someday." We walked there in silence. It wasn't until I noticed that there was something not particularly wrong, but not exactly right either.

"Your tail. What happened to it?" She stopped walking and turned to me.

"Did you ever wonder what I had that was so amazing that let me be an accepted and respected Slytherin, despite my bloodlines?"

"Um, because of Bree, Laurence, and Willy?"

"Connections are important, I admit, but not that important. To be the greatest Slytherin, you have to trust yourself and no other. Because you and only you are controlled completely by you. And you have to depend on your own abilities, not someone else's power."

"So, why are you in Slytherin?"

"Because I can play tricks on the mind."

"Wait, what?"

"I can make things seem like they're there, or seem like they're not. For example, see that spider over there?" CaraLena pointed at the large spider dangling from a strand of web. "Touch it." I did and my hand went right through it.

"Whoa! How…?"

"I can make it seem like it's there. All I have to do is get an idea of how I want it to look, envision it, and suddenly, everything looks the way I want it too. Of course, I can't completely alter everyone's vision–it's just too hard.

"I can't unfortunately, alter touch, sound, or taste. Haven't been a master at that quite yet," she said with a wink. "I can alter scents though. It's the easiest for me.

"Just so you know," she murmured, lowering her voice, "I don't exactly tell the world that I'm part cat. Most of the times, I hide it, like this. That morning, when you saw, me, I woke up from a bad dream and went to find Willy. And since it was really early when we woke, so I figured that no one else was awake and didn't bother altering it. Slytherins, you'll find, aren't lazy but we love our sleep. And besides, most of us (maybe except your sister Cissy) are just born beautiful and don't bother with make-up. Anyways, neither Willy nor I were expecting you to come up at six a.m. and see me in all my cat-like glory, so if you could kind of not talk about my furry little problem…"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." We continued walking when out of nowhere, she asked, "What's with you and my cousin?"

"Huh?"

"You and Laurence, I mean. All that happens to you is that your eyes soften just a bit but Laurie, his entire attitude changes around you. He's…happier around you."

"I don't know, really," I said honestly. "We're just friends. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she said quickly. "I was just wondering if there was anything I should know."

"No, there isn't," I said firmly. "Really. I'd tell you if there was."

By now, we were at the Three Broomsticks. CaraLena and I separated our ways; I went to where Bella, Sev, and Lily were sitting and she went to where her friends were sitting, all popular people I had seen before in the hallways smiling at me or helping a younger student who dropped their bags or was lost in the many hallways, secret passages, twists, and turns of Hogwarts Castle. One of them smiled at me and waved. I waved back.

"So, where's the great invisible Luce?" Bella asked. "My dear King, how dare you abandon your Queen?"

"Bellatrix Black, this isn't funny," Luce hissed from under the cloak. He nudged me slightly. "Move over; I want to sit down, too."

"Just wondering, does everyone in Slytherin know everyone else's talent?"

"More or less," muttered Bella. "Why? Do you want to know Laurence's?"

"Sure, why not?"

"He can harbor death and let it our when he's defending himself."

"Huh?"

"It's a weird concept. You should have him explain it to you sometime. It's worth listening to."

"We're here!" Super bright-'n-Peppy Halo and Contessa literally bounced into the pub with bags of sweets. Their boyfriends were chuckling softly behind them,

"So," said Orin, "what have we missed?"

"I'm missing my sanity," added Jay.

"Oh, shut up," snapped the twins.

"You've missed nothing," Luce whispered. "By the way, do any of you know where Cissy is?"

"Gladrag's Wizard Wear," said the twins in sync. "So you can take off the cloak for now. She'll be there for a while. You should be really glad that she hasn't found you. She wants to go to Madame Puddifoot's with you." It was all Luce could do to not scream right then and there.

"_Madame Puddifoot's? _I _hate_ that place? It's like an attack of gushy-mushy galore."

"I'm sorry, Luce, I really am," I said honestly. "But you're going to have to accept the fact that you're bound by a contract to marry her once you graduate."

"I'm trying not to think about it."

"And you also, we might mention, have to continue the pureblood name of Malfoy so…" The twins looked at him meaningfully.

"I'm going to have to have _sex_ with her?"

"Mulitiple times," I corrected. "Just until you get her pregnant."

"Agh." He thud his head on the wood table. "I hate life."

"Don't say that!" the twin exclaimed. "Think about all the things you should live for!"

"Not many are coming up," he said in a muffled voice.

"What about us, your friends?"

"Anything else?"

"Your parents."

"I hate my dad and my mum is too hippie-like to care about whether or not I'm depressed."

"At least you _have_ a mum," I snapped.

"Sorry, Max."

"S'kay." Pause. "So, what's with you and Keeper boy?"

"Huh?"

"What's with you and Laurence?"

"You're like the third person to ask me about that," I whined. "Nothing's going on so will you just cut me a break?"

"Fine, fine. We'll have nine Butterbeers," he added to the waiter. We got our Butterbeers, paid for them, and headed back up to the castle. On the way, Luce stuffed a sheet of paper in my hands and looked at me meaningfully. I nodded and waited until no one was looking and read it quickly.

_The forest is dark and great for flying. And no one ever goes there.

* * *

_

Luce was right on both counts. It was so dark that only a mutation like me or CaraLena could see and the trees were spread far apart enough for me to spread my wings, but close enough together to provide some protection against unexpected eyes. But as dad once said, being invisible can make you incredibly blind, so I paid close attention to my surroundings. Good thing I did, because I was so close to crashing right into an unknown figure, it wasn't even funny.

"If you're so close, then why can't I find you!" he yelled. "Time after time, you tell me that I'm so close, but still so very far away. That's just not possible! Who are you?" I poked my head out to find the one and only Fang Ride standing there at the edge of the pond, his black feathered wings brought out for the world to see on his bare back. His shirt lay on the ground a few feet away.

"I'm so close," I found myself whispering. "Too close, and yet you still don't know." It was like I had no control over myself. My instincts were taking over. But why?

And that's when I realized it. All this time, it was Fang in my dream. He was my best friend, the one who helped me fight Erasers and cried for me when I was gone. But it had been a decade since. We had both changed so very much.

I should have gone over to him, tell him that it was me, but instead, I ran. Ran until I could go no further. And it was only then that my brain dimly registered something: _Fang's a mutant_.

* * *

"_Hey, CaraLena? Willow-Brook?"_

_They both responded to the voice. "It's Willy, but yeah?"_

"_How can you tell if someone's a mutant?"_

"_I read their aura," said Willy calmly. "You're looking for a mutant, aren't you? The bird kind. I think that's kind of cool." CaraLena looked mildly surprised and twitched one of her pointed ears at this new info but said nothing._

"_But what if I can't read their aura?"_

"_Easy. That is, if you have some person in particular. Talk to them and make them feel comfortable. When they relax, they'll say more."_

"_I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

_

"Hello, Max."

"Hello, Fang." We had become much more civil to each other ever since the night he helped my with my Charms homework.

"May I sit?"

"Yes, you may." He sat.

"Have you ever had dreams where someone keeps telling you to find them?"

"Yeah, all the time."

"And did you ever find them?"

"Technically speaking, yes."

"Did you ever tell them that you found them because of a dream?"

"Dreams," I corrected. "And no, I have not. I'm pretty sure that the person who is visiting me in my dreams was also being visited by a dream me and is trying to find me." I chuckled humorlessly. "He isn't doing too well."

"Is that so?" he asked, mildly amused. "Tell me Max, where were you born?"

"America. In Washington, more specifically."

"How long did you stay in America?"

"A few years."

"With your mom and dad?"

"Nah, my mom died when I was born and dad was still here in England."

"So you were an orphan for some time."

"Not exactly. I was sort of living in a place before being shipped off to dad."

"A place with a guy called Mr. Braham?"

"Yeah," I said with a frown. "Why?"

He smirked. "Tell me, Experiment 1003X-4, do you think I'm not doing such a good job now?"

"How, how did you–"

"Your friends Willow-Brook and CaraLena were both familiar with the fact that my siblings and I are mutants. So they naturally told me all that I needed to know. Want to go to the Forbidden Forest?"

* * *

"It's kind of nice, not having to fight you," he commented. "I mean, it's a lot better when we're not ripping each other's throats out."

"Yeah, it's nice," I agreed.

We were both sitting on some rocks by the little pond where I had first discovered that Fang was the one in my dreams.

"Does this mean we're friends?" I shrugged.

"It sure beats being enemies."

"Alright then, friends."

I don't know how long we sat there just talking and laughing, but when it got too dark for a normal witch or wizard to see, we ruefully returned to the castle. There, we parted ways, him to his family and me to mine. I didn't know why, but the moment we parted, I felt kind of sad, like part of me was missing. And from the somber look on Fang's face, I was pretty sure he felt the same.

* * *

It had only been two days since I had last seen Fang and I missed him already. It was kind of strange, missing someone. I had never really missed someone before, mot even dad. It was this sad, longing feeling that yearned to be relieved. And I suck at poetry so I have absolutely no idea where all this is coming from.

"It's our last Quidditch practice before the match against Griffindor," Luce said tiredly, that day in Ancient Runes. Neither of us had any idea of why we were here and apparently, nor did most of the others in the class except for maybe Lily who sincerely enjoyed the subject.

"That's nice," I murmured and slowly copied off the Runes onto my sheet of parchment. "Hey, Lily? Can you check mine?"

She utterly beamed. "Sure." Her quick eyes scanned the piece of parchment and she handed it back to me. "Nothing wrong here."

After Ancient Runes, Luce and I ran down to the pitch where the rest of them stood already.

"You're late," Lionel commented with bitter amusement.

"Don't make me manipulate you," I snapped, grabbing my broom and lifting off. "My day is already bad enough."

"You don't say," said one of the Selwyn twins in their ironically Irish accent. I think it was Vladimir. "My brother and I've been having a rather rotten day ourselves."

"Who knew that today would be so bad?" added Dracula, swinging his Beater's bat.

"Vlad, Drac, pay attention!" yelled Lionel, swinging his bat at the Bludger.

"Sorry," shouted Vladimir. He turned to me. "Hey Max! Any sight of the elusive Golden Snitch?"

"No, not yet. Did you even let the Snitch out, Lionel?"

"I think so!"

"You didn't," yelled Luce. He opened the container where our Snitch was stored and the tiny flying walnut fluttered quickly into the air. I let it get a head start before swooping down on it. Again and again I let it go and caught it.

"Nice job, Max!" yelled my big brother. "We'll cream those Grffindorks tomorrow for sure!"

"Thanks, Lionel!" I swooped down on the Snitch again and caught it with ease.

"That's enough practice for today. Let's go in before it starts to rain." I looked up sadly at the gloomy sky. If it was going to rain, then I couldn't go flying.

"Meet me in the walled flower garden where I first brought you when shadow traveling," Fang murmured discreetly in my ear. "Once you finish changing and can disappear without being noticed." I nodded once and went into the girl's changing rooms. I left wearing my typical torn jeans, tank top, and converse shoes. Making sure that no one was looking; I ran into a shadow and appeared in another. Fang was already sitting on a bench in the gazebo where he first asked me about Itex. I approached him quietly, but apparently not quietly enough because he turned around and saw me.

"Hello, Max," he said pleasantly with a genuine smile. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too," I responded, lightly punching him in the arm. "So, why am I here?"

"You looked kind of sad when Lionel said it was going to rain and I figured I might as well cheer you up."

"Who are you and what have you done with Fang?"

"What? I can't have a nice side, too?"

"Nah. You're too, too dark to have a nice side."

"How rude," he said dramatically.

"Oh, shut up," I responded, shoving him lightly. We both laughed.

"Hey, Max? Do you know who your real parents are?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Who are they?"

"I'm actually one of those experiments whose birth parents are their only parents. There's my dad, Tom (let's just say that old Voldy is a pureblood in this, 'kay) and my late mum, Aella."

"Like Aella Rowle."

"Yeah. Who's she?"

"Third year. Joined the Ranks of the Death Eaters in her first year. Sweet little girl, evil sister."

"You mean Christina Rowle?"

"Yeah, her."

"So, Fang, who are your parents?"

"Well, everyone knows my 'dad', Alexander Ride, owner of the Butterbeer Company. My late 'mum' was Evening Ride. And My birth parents…" He let out a deep breath. "My mum was a teenager when I was born and I actually don't have any idea who my dad is. He probably left my mum after he knocked her up," he added bitterly.

"You don't know that," I said gently. "Maybe they were both really good people who fell in love."

He scoffed. "What kind of good people get together when they're teens?"

"All sorts of good people," I said softly. "I mean, Slytherins, we aren't exactly good, are we? We rarely ever fall in love. Especially Slytherin purebloods. Most of us are married off before we're even born. Those who fall in love, really fall in love, as teens, we're this whole other kind of good. It shows us that we're…pure."

"Yeah, I guess." He stayed silent for a few moments and the patter of raindrops on the roof of the gazebo seemed to echo. "Hey, Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Who are you pining after?"

"Who am I pining after?"

"Yeah. Who do you like? Who do you have a crush on? Who would you like to snog?"

"How about you tell me first and then I'll tell you mine."

"No way. How about I tell you one person I've liked before in exchange for one person you've liked before."

"Okay. But only people I know."

"Fine. Sicily Varner."

"Seriously?"

"No joke. First day I saw her, I thought she was perfect. I did until I found out she had no wings."

"Of course. Only you would judge perfection on whether or not people had wings," I said with a snort. "Laurence formerly Prewett."

"Slytherin Keeper? I've heard rumors about you two. CaraLena formerly Prewett."

"Seems like we both like the disowned. And what rumors? Luce Malfoy."

"Isn't he your brother? They say Laurence is lovesick. Niobe Black."

"Isn't she kind of old for you? And Luce technically isn't my brother; more like best friend. Erik Greengrass."

"Isn't _he_ too old for you? Piper Goyle."

"I don't like her. Isaac Brent."

"He's a total nerd."

"It's getting dark," I said at last, changing the subject. "Don't you think that we should go in?"

"Now how do you think we'll get in? None of the shadows are big enough here in the gazebo and if we go through the rain, we'll have to explain how we got wet. So our only option is to wait it out." He picked up a strand of grass close to the gazebo and transfigured it into a flower.

"Oh, that's pretty."

"Just like you," he murmured, tucking the little flower into my hair. I smiled and sat down next to him, my head resting on his shoulder, waiting out the hours for it to get dark enough to shadow travel.

* * *

I have to admit, that night when I shadow traveled back into the castle, it was pretty hard to wipe the grin off my face.

"What are you so happy about?" asked the twins curiously, their large eyes making them look like little kids asking about what their lunch was.

"Oh, nothing," I said innocently. They narrowed their eyes but pressed the situation no further as they calmly sipped their pumpkin juice.

"Goodness," they said at the same time, spitting out the juice. "This stuff is vile!"

"Guess what?" asked Luce once he slid onto the seat at the table. "I saw Fang Ride just earlier and he _smiled_ at me. Actually _smiled_."

"Whoa," murmured Bella. "I've never seen that boy smile. He's like so stony all the time."

"I wonder why he's so happy," Sev mused. "Usually, he's all mad."

"Do you think it'll be still raining tomorrow?" Luce asked, changing the subject. "Because if it doesn't, we'll have a pretty hard time playing Quidditch."

"Oh, relax," I muttered between bites of my dinner. "I'm sure it'll clear up by tomorrow."

"And if it doesn't…"

"Then we'll laugh madly while James Potter is blindly flying through the air."

Luce laughed. "Of course, Max. "Only you would–"

"Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"Could I have a word with you after dinner?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

* * *

"You think that you–!"

"Shut it," I hissed. Some of the Slytherins in our common room were looking at us strange.

"What?"

"I can't have everybody know! I have a rep, you know."

"But Fang Ride?" he hissed. "You hate him!"

"I thought that he was your friend!"

"Let me explain the 'friend' part."

"Explain," I practically snarled, crossing my arms and flopping down on a green loveseat with silver trimmings. "I'm all ears."

"Fang and I are friends, to everyone's great disgust. All of our friends hate Fang more than anything. I mean, sure, Bella's civil enough to him but it doesn't mean that they like each other! In the friend-friend way, I mean of course.

"We, we're friends because we were outcasts when we first got to Hogwarts."

"And now you're King with Bella by your side."

"It's complicated. Bella, Cissy, and Sev are our siblings so it was natural that we were, to some extent, friends. Bell's been popular from the start so as her friend, I, naturally, become somewhat of a popular guy myself. Back then, a girl named Electra Rosier was Queen and her brother, Alec Rosier, was King. I haven't paid much attention to who was King and Queen before me," he added ruefully. "I actually hated all the Kings and Queens before Bella and I."

"But back to Fang. Shouldn't he be a prince?"

"I really wanted him to be," Luce said at last. "I mean, he was like my best friend. But he took one look at my high glory and refused. He didn't want to be a prince if it meant that girls would be throwing themselves at his feet. Not like they aren't already," he added with a smirk. "But as I said before, he's pining after this one girl, a winged girl, I believe, and say, Max, don't you have, you know," he lowered his voice, "wings?"

"Yes I do, Luce. But I highly doubt it's me. I mean, Fang Ride is like the guy even Sicily Varner wants to get her filthy little hand on–"

"But she can have him. He's got eyes for you and only you."

"What?"

"Is there a single girl in this school who he pays as much attention to more than you that aren't his sisters? Is there a single person, other than myself and his siblings, that treats him more than dirt under their shoes or a trophy yearning to be placed on a shelf? Max, there's no other girl he likes more than you, sister or not! And you have to start accepting it."

"Why should I?" I demanded.

"Because he's, uh, well…"

"What, Luce?" I demanded in my best 'I'll kill you if you don't tell me' tone. "Because he's what?"

"Well…"

"Luce…" I ground out. "What's going on?"

"Because if you don't we'll be sure to speed it up a notch." I turned around and saw Iggy and Nudge with looks of determination on their faces.

"We've been waiting all our lives for this moment, when we finally find 'the one' for Fang," explained Nudge. "And now that we've found you, we aren't letting go so easily."

"Besides," added Iggy, "we've known you forever. You're the blond girl who was dropped off at the giant mansion instead of the Ride's house. I remember Fang going berserk because he had no idea how to be a leader."

"And if you two get together, then I can have the big sister I always wanted! You know, the one who does my hair and helps me put on make-up and listens to my problems and gives advice when I get my very first boyfriend and tucks me in every night and says 'I love you' like the mother I never had and –"

"Whoa, slow down there," I said quickly. "Who said anything about us getting together?"

"Well, I kind of figured this would happen," admitted Luce. "So I found Iggy and Nudge to bear witness just in case."

"You just 'kind of figured' and set this entire thing up?" I nearly screeched. "That's just crazy!"

"Not really," Iggy corrected. "We're kind of close to CaraLena and Willy since, you know, animal-human mutations have to stick together, and Willy is, after all a Slytherin because of her aura reading ability and we saw Fang all happy and asked her to get a read on him. She agreed and found out that he was all lovey-dovey and was like all 'aw, that's so cute' on us and then we had her have a read on you and you were all lovey-dovey and then Nudge was like "ZOMG! They like each other! :D' and here we are now, explaining everything to you." He took a deep breath. "Do I have to repeat that?"

"No, you don't."

"Wait, quick check. You're not contract bound to anyone, right?"

"No…"

"And you're not currently dating someone, right?"

"No…"

"Okay, just checking."

"Hence the words 'quick check.'"

"But really, Max, you and Fang could get together and then we could be like sisters! We could do the fun stuff sisters do together! And you could do my hair the awesome way you do yours! I mean look at it! It's so shiny! And then after balls and galas we can talk about all the cute guys and stuff! And then I could one day tell Angel that I learned all this stuff from you! Please Max! I just want someone to look up to!"

"I don't have to be your sister for you to look up to me," I said, ruffling her hair.

"But it's traditional!"

"You're a bird-kid," I murmured into her ear. "And so am I. I don't think we fit under the category of 'normal'."

"True, but I really want a big sister. Someone I can look up to, Max. Fang and Iggy are great role models but they're both guys. I can trust them with things but I can't confide in them when I like someone! Then Zephyr, or Gazzy, and Angel are just little kids! Dad's a very dull person for someone who owns Butterbeer and he's always so strict. Then Mom, well mom's dead so she's out of the picture. And my birth parents think I'm dead and I've never met them or bothered to correct them and none of the older girls will pay attention to me except for Willy, CaraLena, and their group but they're always so busy helping other people so that leaves you."

"Now don't I feel special?"

"You should. Think about it Max," pleaded Iggy. "Fang has always just been so emotionless all the time and I apologize for that but I think you could really bring out the better side in him." I sighed.

"I'll think about it," I agreed. "But no promises." I trudged up to my dorm with Nudge squealing excitedly behind me and buried my head in my pillow for a few minutes. I then lifted my head up and my eyes landed on a picture of my dad when he was at Hogwarts. I had inherited my pale skin, flying skills, and attitude from him, I thought as I studied the picture of the somber faced boy holding broom. When he saw me, my little dad smiled and waved at me. I smiled back sadly. "Dad, I got the Rides on our side but I think I might be in way over my head."

* * *

"You simply cannot wriggle out of tomorrow's Hogsmeade trip!" Cissy shrieked desperately to Luce. "You simply can't! There's no excuse this time!" Sicily Varner was looking on coldly.

"Shut up, bitch. It's obvious that Lucius Malfoy does not speak to the likes of you."

"Better a bitch than a slut!" I snapped at Sicily. I didn't know why I was defending Cissy, but shoving reality in Sicily's plastic face felt pretty good. I should do it more often.

Sicily's plastic face contorted. "What? Now you're a bitch too?"

"You call me a bitch and I'll show you one!"

"Oh, how touchy," she sneered.

"Max, drop it," said Cissy, breaking the angry silence. "Come on, Max. She's not worth it." I didn't immediately move but I responded when her small hand pulled me away.

"Why are you being so nice to me now?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Because you defended me."

"Yeah, but that's what we do. Slytherins defend each other." She smiled ruefully.

"I suppose. But you're the only one who's ever stood up to me against someone from another house. They all hate me in Slytherin. All my friends talk about me behind my back. There's not a single person in this whole school that'll accept me. Not even my own sister." By now she was sobbing.

"There, there, it's okay," I murmured, bringing her into a hug. I knew Cissy had an attitude but I hadn't realized how many people were just so against her. Every person that insulted her only made her hatred grow more. But I could also barely imagine it, the idea of everyone hating her. It seemed impossible that people like Laurence's cousins and their group hating others. It was just…unable to exist in this world.

But then I could believe it. Hadn't CaraLena discreetly say that Cissy wasn't as beautiful as the rest of us just last Hogsmeade visit? And it wasn't like Willy was overly friendly to Cissy either. I racked my brain but I couldn't seem to pull up an image of one of their friends helping Cissy when she dropped her bag or when she fell into a trick step on the staircase.

Cissy and I stayed in that position for a few more moments until Lionel called for all of the Slytherin Quidditch players to get on down to the pit. "Thanks, Max," Cissy murmured through her tears. I gave her one last smile before turning my back on to her. Who knows? Maybe we'll be friends.

* * *

"Okay, this is the very first match of the season. Forget about a clean match like Madam Hooch wants. Maybe one day she'll learn that this is, after all, Quidditch. There is no such thing as a clean match." We all chuckled darkly. "If we can't win playing clean, we'll play dirty. Old timers, such as me and Laurence, will tell you right now that the first matches are always the most important. So, let's get out there and score us some points!"

I knew the Quidditch pitch was huge and I knew that it could hold a lot of people, but the whole school? That was a first. And I never expected that it could be so _loud_.

"I know the feeling," Fang was murmuring in my ear. "Mutated hearing is wonderful, unless, of course, it's this loud."

"How can you stand this?" I hissed, writhing in pain. He handed me a small box labeled 'ear plugs'. "Thanks."

I quickly shoved them in just in time for us to take off. The wind through my hair, the extreme adrenaline rush, and the cold, crisp smell of the air that all came with flying up so high made me smile. Since I was the Seeker, I just hung around until I saw the Snitch. Meanwhile, I could watch the Grffindor Seeker for hints. After a few goals for Slytherin (courtesy of Fang) and a couple amazing blocks from Laurence, I saw a glittering gold ball in the air above the Slytherin goal posts and flew towards it at top speed.

"Wrong way, sucker!" James Potter yelled at me. "Our goal post is _that_ way. Of course, you'd be too daft to notice!" I paid him no attention as I narrowly missed colliding into Laurence and enclosed the fluttering little ball in my fist.

"Maximum Ride has caught the Snitch!" shouted the commenter of the match, Lily. It was ironic how much she hated Quidditch and still did the commentary. A crowd of green and silver clad students cheered along with Lily, probably the only happy Grffindor in the entire pitch.

"Congrats, Max!" Laurence hugged me tightly in the air and kissed me on the cheek. I gasped, both for air and in surprise. "Oh, sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "You okay?"

"More or less," I said with a nervous giggle. It was all I could say to him before I was surrounded by the rest of my teammates, all hugging me and congratulating me on my first game. It was all good up till Fang decided to congratulate me.

"Nice first try. Especially for a newbie." He smiled, but it never reached his eyes.

* * *

I would have never snuck out of school if this was a regular case, but my mission was to get the Rides on our side, not fall in love. But if Fang was mad at me, then I'd have to let love guide the way. Curse my foolish morals.

The gazebo in the walled flower garden was my best bet. If he wasn't there, I didn't know where he'd be. Shadow traveling, I nearly hurtled into the rose walk. Warning: in the case you ever learn to shadow travel, invest in a good broom. Because shadow traveling isn't exactly the best method of going place to place, especially if you're trying to go to somewhere sunny. Fast, yes, 100% reliable, no. And the walled flower garden was _very_ sunny.

Like I guessed, Fang was there, sitting on one of the gazebo walls, looking sullen and angry. "Fang," I murmured as I approached him. "Fang, what's going on? Are you mad at me or something?"

"What is going on between you and Laurence formerly Prewett?" he ground out, his angry black eyes boring a hole into mine.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"He freaking _kissed_ you in front of the entire school! What's going on?"

"Nothing!" I insisted. "We're just friends. I swear on my life that there's nothing _going on_ between me and Laurence!"

"What about the rumors?" he asked frostily. "About Laurence being utterly lovesick? And they aren't really rumors anymore. Not to me. I've seen Laurence's face whenever he sees you. He looks at you like a goddess or an angel."

"So?" I shrieked. "It's not my fault if he likes me! And why do you care anyways?" He laughed bitterly.

"I really shouldn't, Max. But you, you're the girl who was once my best friend, the girl who was strong for me, Iggy, and Nudge when we couldn't be ourselves. I kind of always remembered you being so strong and brave and a leader. I guess I never thought of you as someone who could fall for a weiner like Laurence. You deserve better, Max."

"For the last time!" I almost yelled, "I am NOT with Laurence, bird girl or not!"

"But you like him, don't you?" he hissed. "You told me the other day."

"I liked him," I admitted. "But now I don't like him more than a friend. It's not like you like Sicily Varner anymore."

"True," he allowed.

"And besides, if I still liked Laurence, would I do this?" I grabbed his collar and pulled him towards me. And for the Hell of it, I kissed him. On. The. Lips.

I had been kissed many times before but never on the lips. Laurence kissed me on the cheek and forehead a few times and my brothers have kissed my hand during my father's balls. Dad's even kissed me on the forehead several times. But I've never had a kiss like this before.

It was like electricity at the greatest level but oh-so-comforting. There was nothing but Fang and the scent of his skin. I couldn't think, I couldn't speak, I couldn't remember my name, much less who I was! It was just me and him and him and me and all the lust in us. And suddenly, he was gone.

"Max," he choked out, breathing raggedly. "What was _that_?"

I was breathless too. "You didn't believe me, Fang. I had to prove that I didn't really like him anymore. Please don't hate me," I added desperately.

He just glared back at me. "You really shouldn't have done that, Max." I nodded numbly, tears prickling my eyes, threatening to escape. I had only cried once before in my life and that was when I was beat up beyond recognition by a few damn Erasers.

"Yeah, I know. It was stupid, it was foolish, and it was dumb, okay? I get it." I turned away and tried to shadow travel and leave with whatever dignity I had. But before I could, Fang's hand enclosed around my wrist, stopping me.

"No, Max," he murmured pulling me back to him. I turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. He cupped my chin and lifted my head so that I had to meet his eyes. "What I meant, is that you should have let me kiss you instead of you kissing me. Iggy's going to hold it over my head the rest of my life. My first kiss and it was the girl kissed me, not the other way around." He grinned. "I sure hope I can make it up to you." And then he kissed me.

**I hope you don't think they kissed too soon. They generally don't kiss until at least chapter eight. (Muse…) I'm known for moving too fast through a story. But then again, these chapters are kind of long and I need them to be all buddy-buddy before the Halloween Ball coming up. Oh, wait, I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Oh well, too bad. Think of this as an early gift. **

**On a side note, I'm going camping this Friday with seven other families I don't know. Generally, I'd be fine with that, but the rest of them know each other. D: I'll try to get chapter 5 up before I leave for the great wilderness, but since the Halloween Ball isn't until chapter 6 at least, maybe chapter 7, I think chapter 5 will be a filler chapter. Or maybe I can introduce Willy and CaraLena's friends to you!**

**Just so you know, CaraLena is actually based off one of my best friends with the same name who wanted to be in here. Another one of my best friends will show up somewhere here too. I think I might throw myself in too. As a matter of fact, if you pm me and ask nicely, I **_**might**_** put you in my story too. Hmm. (First come, first served. No flames.)**


	5. Lovesick

**I hope you people are happy. There were people cutting down the trees at my house for a while and then one of the trees fell on the internet line and killed it for a while. So here I am, cramming all this stuff on this puny little page for the glory of you people. I should be mad, but I love you guys too much. ^-^**

**Teenage Dream- Katy Perry  
I Run to You- Lady Antebellum  
This is How You Remind me- Nickleback**

**And I forgot that I'm supposed to have a disclaimer. Oops. Well, you know what they all say:**

**I do not own Harry Potter or Maximum Ride. J.K. Rowling and James Patterson do.**

"Why's Max smiling like that?" asked the twins accusingly. "It's just like yesterday. She's all smiley and happy and dopey. Did you get drunk?"

"Why?" I asked dreamily, as if in a trace.

"Because I'm allergic to liquor and you know it!" said Halo at the same time Contessa said, "Because you look like you over dosed on some pretty strong Firewhiskey."

"Well, I didn't," I insisted, poking at the glop of mashed potatoes on my dinner plate. They sighed.

"If you insist," they said with a sigh and struck up a conversation about how spaghetti and noodles are two different things. I listened deftly to their individual voices and let my eyes wonder as I swallowed some mashed potato. I saw Fang at the other end of the table, also deftly looking around. When our eyes met, he smiled. Iggy and Nudge exchanged knowing glances. We let our eyes linger on each other for a moment before looking around again. This time, I saw Cissy sitting with only Aella Rowle at one end of the table. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying and Aella was trying to comfort her like I had earlier today. And the rest of her friends were sitting a good distance away from her, laughing at her. I frowned and got up. Halo and Contessa looked at me in surprise.

"Max, where're you going?"

"To help my little sister."

They looked shocked. "But we thought you hated her!"

"I did," I admitted. "But just look at her! No one should be treated like that, no matter how mean they are!"

"But, but, but she's Cissy!" they exclaimed.

"What if it was a role reversal and everyone shunned the two of you like they shunned Cissy. And then one of the Princesses offered to help. Wouldn't you be absolutely grateful?"

"But we'd never be as mean as Cissy!" they insisted. I narrowed my eyes.

"Cissy needs my help and I'm going to help her. And the two of you love my idea and think its brilliant," I said firmly with my power of manipulation leaking into it. They nodded as if in a trance and continued eating dinner. I smiled smugly and went off to help Cissy.

When I sat down next to her, some of her ex-friends gasped. "None of the Princesses ever sat down with us when we were friends with Cissy!" Christiana Rowle exclaimed. "Look at her, in such a pitiful state with my traitor sister! And when Max Ride could be sitting with me, the future Queen, she chooses to sit with them! Ugh! What is this world coming to?"

"What do you mean, _you're_ going to be the future Queen?" asked one of the plastic Barbie dolls sitting close to her. "Don't you mean that _I'm_ going to be Queen?"

"No, of course not!" insisted yet another blond Barbie. "_I'm_ going to be Queen!"

"You mean I'll be Queen!" yelled a Barbie, looking more like a Bratz. "The rest of you don't stand a chance!" Cissy, Aella, and I watched the cat fight unfold while trying desperately not to laugh.

"Wow, and they call me Bitchy Cissy," my little sister said with a little giggle. Aella and I laughed with her.

"I sure hope you're glad now that you aren't one of them," I said, ruffling her hair. She smiled.

"See, Cissy? I told you everything would get better!"

"I bet not even you, Aella, could have imagined it to go this fast."

Aella rolled her eyes. "That's what you think."

"Yeah, that's what I do think. And why did you come here, Max?"

"Oh, me?" I asked. "I came over to invite you to sit with us." Their eyes widened.

"To sit with you guys?" they asked in sync.

"Yeah. And you guys are starting to scare me. It's already bad enough Halo and Contessa do that."

"But they hate me there," Cissy said mournfully. I winked at her.

"Not if I'm there they won't." They reluctantly followed me over to where Bella, Lily, Luce, Sev, Jay, Orin, and the partially brain-dead twins were sitting. If any of them had any surprise about who I had brought to dinner, they kept their comments to themselves.

"First Quidditch match of the season and we won!" said Orin, beginning the conversation. "The Cup will have our names on it for sure."

"You mean _our_ names," corrected Luce, lightly punching Orin's arm. "You're not on the Quidditch team."

"I meant our House name!" Orin exclaimed.

"You guys are lucky," said Lily mournfully. "I can't say that my house won because I'm stuck in Grffindork." She suddenly brightened. "Do you think I can switch houses?"

"You can't; I checked," said Cissy quietly. Everyone turned to her and she blushed.

"How do you know?" I asked encouragingly. Fortunately, Aella saved her.

"Because we once tried to get Christiana into Griffindork because she's like a little Sicily Varner wannabe so it'd make sense to put them in the same house, right? But no…McGonagall insisted that we were put in our houses for a reason. And I swear, Christiana's reason for being in Slytherin is because there has to be a slut in every house." Everyone laughed.

"Good one, Aella," Bella complimented her.

"We're all going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, right?" I asked. Everyone nodded, except for Aella and Cissy. I looked at them questioningly.

"I don't want to get tormented by Christiana and her group anymore," Cissy admitted. For probably the first time in her life, Bella had a look on her face that was a mix of anger at Christiana, Sicily, and maybe even herself for not being a better sister and grief for her little sister.

"You can come with us," she said. "Even Christiana knows better than to cross paths with a Queen." Cissy looked up at her sister in surprise and then smiled slightly.

"I'd like that." And I just sat there, smiling like the stupid idiot I was. Everything was better.

* * *

"Max! Max!" I turned around to see CaraLena and some of her friends sitting on a field of grass on the edge of Hogsmeade. "Hi! I promised I'd introduce you to my friends!" I walked over to them and sat down. They were all familiar faces, ones I had seen in the hallways.

"Hey guys."

"You aren't busy, are you?" CaraLena asked quickly. I shook my head and she brightened. "That's great. Everyone, this is Max. Say 'hi' Max!"

"Uh, hi?"

"She's two percent bird."

"CaraLena!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," she said sheepishly. "All of my friends are animal mutations. How that happened, we're not sure. I'm here to kind of hide the animal parts of them. And Fang told me about how he was looking for a mutation the other day and it happened to be you so…uh…yeah…"

"So, Max," said the girl with strawberry blonde hair and grey eyes. "What'd you get out of being part bird?"

"Um, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Like, for example, CaraLena's got a tail, two pointed ears, strangely colored hair, can see in the dark, weird eyes, and a bunch of other random stuff. You've seen CaraLena in her natural form, right?" I nodded. "Stuff like that. Things that don't make you human."

"I have wings," I muttered, sliding part of it out from under my shirt so they could see.

"Whoa, that's awesome!" said the dark haired girl.

"I'd love to have wings!" squealed the blond. "Not that I don't want to be part snow leopards; I love them!"

"Zohra is a twelve percent snow leopard mutation also created by Itex," CaraLena explained. "Here, I'll remove the disguises." CaraLena waved her hand and I marveled at how alike Zohra and CaraLena looked. Only Zohra had paler skin than Caralena and her hair was a pale blond with little black dabs all over.

"Impressive. Do you have night vision too?" She nodded.

"And I like sugar! A lot of sugar!" She seemed to bounce up and down when she said that.

"Chill, Zohra," the dark haired girl said, gripping Zohra tightly on the shouldered to prevent her from bouncing away.

"And there's Tarlyn. Or as Zohra calls her, Pepper," CaraLena added. She looked warily at me for a second. "Tarlyn wasn't made in the Itex we know. She was made in one in China."

"Probably a giveaway, because of how I look, right?" asked Tarlyn obviously. "Well, anyways, try not to be stereotypical."

"I'm already talking calmly to you guys about mutants," I said. "What part of me would be stereotypical?" Tarlyn frowned but said nothing.

"Max, don't panic, but Tarlyn is part wolf." I screamed right then and there. Zohra clasped my mouth to muffle the sound but even an animal mutation like her couldn't stop me from thrashing around wildly, trying to get away. Tarlyn just looked at me with sad black-brown eyes but remained silent.

"We won't let you speak until you promise not to scream," CaraLena threatened. I continued my muffled yells until I finally got tired and gave in. CaraLena nodded once at Zohra and she unclasped my mouth.

"How can you guys be so calm when there's a part-wolf mutation less than three feet away from you?" I hissed.

"Because Tarlyn isn't like other Erasers. She's just a wolf-human mutation and that's all there is too it."

"Yeah," she piped up. "I'm not bloodthirsty or anything."

"All Erasers are! They're all–"

"Evil, vile, blood thirsty and practically soulless. They don't know how to love; only hate. They were created to hate and kill other mutations and they can't be changed." Tarlyn's warm brown eyes had suddenly turned cold and frosty. "You think normal non-mutated people will discriminate the likes of you? Well what about me? If it ever leaks out that I'm part wolf, I'll never fit in! Not with the humans, not with the mutants; heck, even the Erasers don't like me! They think I'm a softy! And you're in a panic about if you're ever discovered?" She scoffed. "Please." We sat in the uncomfortable silence and CaraLena and Zohra attempted to make halfhearted conversations. It was no use; Tarlyn's face remained as cold and stony as ever. It then occurred to me how much like Fang she was.

"Um, Tarlyn?"

"What?" she snapped.

"You aren't related to Fang Ride are you?" She sighed dramatically.

"Yeah. Don't tell him though. It'll shock him more than it shocked me." We were talking, at least. Talking civilly = progress.

"How are you related to him?" I asked warily. She let out a deep breath.

"We're twins, okay? Somehow, I got mixed up with another experiment about a year older than me that died and got shipped to China. There, they injected wolf genes into me and it sort of took over me. I've got wings, though," she added bitterly. "They're covered in a light coating of black fur."

"Can you fly with them?" I asked in awe. She nodded.

"Part bird, part wolf, and part human. They weren't kidding when they said I was a mutant. And Max? Could you tell Fang that our parent's were good people who got married kind of early without revealing that I'm his twin? Like I said, he'd freak if he discovered I was his sister."

"No joke," I muttered under my breath. "So, where's everyone else? Like –"

"Everyone else?"

"Do you always cut off people like that? Is it your talent or something?"

"No, no, absolutely not. I can see the invisible, quite the opposite of Fang. Most twin Slytherins have counterpart talents," she explained. "I heard you can manipulate. As for everyone else, they're here but CaraLena's making it look like they're not." She paused and then I saw the images of a few more people.

"Max," said CaraLena. "Meet the SOTG."

"The what?"

"Stalkers Organized Together for Greatness," Tarlyn explained. "Zohra made it up way back when we were still little First years. Because we've all got the most amazing combined talents that can make us stalkers. And we're capable of using them too. All the people of our year turn to us whenever they need someone to be tailed."

"For starters, I can make things seem like they're there or not there," said CaraLena. "And Zohra–"

"Hey! I want to say it! I can create great distractions. Being able to control water can do that. Well, it's water when it's above freezing and snow and ice when it's below. It's kind of a really weird talent, but I like it anyways."

"And I can see people who can't be seen. Kind of ironic, really," said Tarlyn thoughtfully.

"Anyways, Jaq," said Cara, gesturing over to the tall, pale, boy with long white hair and white-blue eyes who seemed to stare at me with a emotionless and cold face. He was sitting in the shadows of a tree and his figure seemed to flicker. "Jaq can sort of turn invisible when in light. It's strange, because you'd imagine him to disappear in shadows but _no_….he just _has_ to be a albino."

"And then there's Selwyn, my half brother," added Tarlyn. A guy with long, spiky black hair, midnight blue eyes, and a crooked grin waved to me lazily.

"Yeah, Tarly and I go _way_ back. She was even the first to know that I was a Metamorphmagus."

Tarlyn whacked his arm. "It's Tarlyn, Tara, or TaraLynn, not Tarly. Pepper, yes, Tarly, no."

"Fine, jeez."

"So is that your natural shape?" I asked. He nodded.

"I'd change, but I'm already handsome enough," he said, grinning. "Did we mention Adrian, CaraLena's cousin?"

"No. CaraLena, just how many cousins do you have?"

"In Slytherin or in all?"

"Slytherin." She scrunched up her nose in thought.

"There's Sabrina, Laurence, Adrian, and we're pretty sure that Potter's little brother is also going to be a Slytherin, so four."

I suddenly remembered Adrian's former last name. "Your little brother?" She nodded meekly.

"I got in on pure talent," she admitted, although there was pride in her voice. "I'm an accurate see-upon-request seer. If I hadn't been a seer, I'd be in another house. But Dante, he's always getting hurt by our parents; hit, smacked, punched. I'm almost positive that he'll end up a Slytherin. He'll never want to be like James, scars all over him. Never!" She sniffled. "I shouldn't have left for Slytherin," she whimpered. "I can't protect Dante and James anymore."

"To be honest with you," said Selwyn, butting in, "I'm not entirely convinced that Dante's still alive anymore. For one, Dante was stronger than James ever was; stronger than you too. But James was too weak to fight back when he got his chance to be sorted. He probably didn't want to suffer the embarrassment of being disowned. No matter what, James is loyal because he can't stand being hurt. Dante on the other hand…"

"Dante's too strong, your former parents probably see that in him. You don't know if they've killed him and passed it off for an accident. Because maybe they already know that Dante's going to follow in your footsteps and don't want it to be known that two of their three children turned traitor," said Tarlyn calmly.

"But all of my parent's children turned traitor!" exclaimed CaraLena.

"That's because there was only two of you," whispered Jaq darkly. "If anyone should be talking about how many of their siblings turned traitor, it should be me. Eight children in my family; three of them loyal Slytherins, five of them traitorous Gryffindors. There's bad blood in every family." He sighed softly. "Seems like only Halo, Contessa, and I stayed pure." Since when did the twins have a brother?

"And we always thought that little Effie would for sure be a Slytherin. Doesn't it seem strange, Jaq, that she's now no longer our sister? All those happy memories, tainted. And Zephyr, can you believe it? We sure didn't. He was supposed to be our role model; mum told us so! And then he went off la-di-da into Gryffindork. At least we've got loyalty to our family. Can you imagine if we didn't?" The twins both rolled their eyes and turned to me. "Anyways, Max, it's almost time for lunch and we're supposed to all meet at the Three Broomsticks since Christiana and her posse are at Madam Puddifoot's, trying to steal hot, daft, guys according to Cissy and Aella."

"Alright, I'm coming. Bye guys," I added, turning To CaraLena and her friends. "See you later?"

"Yeah. And we'll be at the you-know-what next time," added Zohra.

"What's the you-know-what?" I asked the twins once we were out of earshot, animal mutation enhanced or not.

"The Ranks of the Death Eaters," they said in sync. "Lexus invited them all yesterday at lunch, didn't you notice? Well, you were probably too busy checking out Fang Ride, are we right or are we right?" I blushed furiously.

"I was _not_ checking him out!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Because you accused me of it."

"Mhmm, _sure_ you are." But they let it drop anyways.

* * *

"Lucius! You're finally here! I thought you'd never make it!" A bright and happy Cissy beamed up at him. He smiled at her adoringly.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he murmured, kissing her on the cheek. The relationship between Cissy and Luce had gone from strained and forced to willing and eager.

"They're so cute!" cooed the twins dreamily. I grinned stupidly.

"Aren't they? Where's Bells?" asked Lily.

"Chasing after Lestrange," crooned the twins. "We're pretty sure she likes him…"

"Bella's chasing Rodolphus Lestrange?" asked Cissy eagerly. "Yes! It's my turn to make fun of her boy obsession!"

"Our sister is NOT obsessed with guys," I corrected her, ruffling her hair.

"Hey! I spend all morning on it!" she complained. I laughed.

"I'll do it for you tomorrow, 'kay sis?" She nodded brightly.

"I want the sides pulled back and braided."

"Sure thing, Cissy."

"Max! Lucius! Max!" Laurence skidded on the smoothed waxed floors and nearly toppled over. "Sudden Quidditch practice. Completely unplanned. He's sorry for the short notice," said Laurence between breaths.

"In the middle of Cissy and Luce's date?" I exclaimed. "He's GOT to be joking."

"Oh, I'll just ditch. Tell Lionel I'm sorry."

"Lucius, Quidditch is really important to you" said Cissy calmly. "You can go if you really want." Luce looked torn. Then he suddenly brightened with an idea.

"How about a rain check for the date? And next time we can go somewhere better." Cissy laughed.

"Sounds good to me. Now go before Lionel beats you and Max into a pulp." She lightly shoved him. He grinned at her and we both ran for the Quidditch pitch.

"He couldn't have wore timing," I muttered bitterly to Luce. "I mean, you and Cissy are finally together. I mean, really together and now Lionel just goes 'Too bad; we have a game to win!'"

"It's okay, Max," he said with a sad grin. "Besides, at least we're together. I know who I'm going with to the Halloween ball."

"Oh, shoot! It's in a week!"

"You just noticed?" he asked, amused, slowing down to a walk.

"No, I just completely forgot! Ugh, who should I ask?"

"I thought you already asked Laurence formerly Prewett," he said, sounding genuinely confused. He mounted his broom and went to go find the Quaffle. I tried to look for the Snitch the best I could, but my mind was still on the subject of the Halloween ball. _Ask Laurence formerly Prewett? That's…not right. He's two years older than me!_ A bright gold sparkle caught my eye and I snatched it out of the air.

Good, Max!" yelled my big brother. "Now let it go and catch it again." I threw it up in the air and watched it. The bright sunlight nearly blinded me as I watch the Snitch go higher and higher. Fang's shadow passed it and I could have sworn he touched the Snitch just for a moment with his hand before catching the Quaffle. Curious, I poured on the speed and tried desperately to find the Snitch. I grabbed at it, and when I did, a small piece of paper fell into my hand.

_Would you like to go the Halloween ball with me? -Fang_

I smiled and took out a quill. _Yes. _I tucked it back onto the Snitch and let it go. It fluttered around for a bit until Fang collided with it and I saw him discreetly remove the parchment. He read it and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Alright, enough practice! Land!" yelled Lionel and we all obeyed.

"Walled garden, after dinner," Fang murmured into my ear as he passed me. I nodded. Just then, Laurence approached me. Fang looked on questioningly, but said nothing and disappeared into the shadows.

"Oh, hi Max," he began. "I was wondering if you would, uh, would go to the ball with me?"

"Um, I'm already going with someone else," I admitted. From the shadows, only loud enough for me to hear, someone chuckled.

"Damn right you are," whispered Fang.

"Who?"

"Um, Fang Ride," I muttered guiltily. He gawked.

"Fang Ride?" he nearly screamed. "You're going with Fang Ride?"

"Uh, kinda?"

"Oh my god, oh my god." He took a step backwards a yelled, "Maximum Ride is going out with Fang Ride!"

Well, there goes any chance of it being a secret.

* * *

By dinner, practically the entire school knew that I was going out with Fang Ride. They ignored him, as per usual. Me on the other hand…

"You're going out with Fang Ride," taunted Peter Pettigrew. "Ooh, isn't he just _so_ hot?"

"Shut up!" I yelled. "What are you? Gay?"

"He's gay!" Sirius yelled back. Regulus looked at his former brother and scowled.

"And you're not, you son of a bitch?" yelled my little brother.

"Yeah, you're right! Mum _was_ a bitch and you're no better!"

"As thankful as I am for you to stand up for me, I don't think dragging in family matters will help," I said firmly.

"But, Max!" he complained. I shook my head.

"Not now, Reg." He pouted but let it drop.

"Ha, you have to depend on a First year's help?" laughed Sirius. I locked eyes with him.

"You will now slap yourself silly and leave me alone."

"Yes…" His eyes were foggy. I hoped the effect of manipulation wouldn't wear off for a while and left him standing there with Peter looking on strangely.

"You and Fang Ride; we thought you hated him," said the twins calmly as they sipped their tea in sync. "How wrong we were."

"I can't believe it either!" exclaimed Bella, sliding into the seat next to me. "Out of all people, Fang Ride?"

"Well, who would you rather I go with?" I asked meekly.

"Laurence formerly Prewett?" asked my sister in a duh sort of voice.

"I get teased enough from the other people and now my friends are teasing my about it? Bella…"

"I'm your sister, remember?"

"Fang Ride, huh?" asked Luce.

"Oh no, not you too!"

"No, no," he said calmly with a slight smirk on his face. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I won't tease you about, I promise."

"Thanks, Luce. At least I know that one of you people are loyal to me."

"Speaking of loyalty…" Bella looked unsure.

"Just spit it out."

"They're saying how you shouldn't be a Princess anymore because there's no way they'll accept him as a Prince," she admitted. I groaned.

"Yes, I know my social status is sinking, but I really don't care at the moment." Cissy grinned at me. I was grateful that we were finally on good terms with each other. I wouldn't be able to stand it if my little sister started taunting me.

"You're strong, Max. You'll make it," insisted Cissy. I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Cis, no pun intended."

"And besides, as long as your still friends with Bella and Luce, you'll have to be a Princess."

"Unless we drop from our royal status," said Luce calmly. "Which would be bad."

"The thing it, Max, if you're his girlfriend, it makes us look bad since you're our friend and therefore our status drops. That way, anyone with a status high enough can take over pretty easily and we're all goners," said Bella.

"Some Slytherins have worked their entire lives at Hogwarts just to get to the top. And since we're not old enough to be made into Prefects…" Luce trailed off uncertainly.

"We're both in danger of being kicked off the throne," finished Bella.

"Who's the biggest threat?" I asked.

"Besides you guys," said Bella slowly, "I'd say that Veronique and Gaston Goyle have the best shot."

"Who? I've never heard of them."

"It's because they think themselves too good for us and never talk to anyone," explained Sev bitterly. "They look at the rest of us as if we were dirt under their shoes since we're just not important enough to them.

"Finally got your nose out of a potions book, I see."

"Shut up, Max. I'm trying to help you here." He lowered his voice. "Veronique and Gaston are only so prominent because of two things: their older sister, Piper, is in the Ranks of the Death Eaters and is a Queen. Not a Prefect, but still a Queen. And their father is Thomas Goyle. I think you know who that is."

"One of dad's helpers," I gasped.

"Exactly. Now, if the rumors are true, Tarlyn and Selwyn Tyler are very, very, close to taking over Piper and Isaac's spot as Queen and King. That'll defiantly bring down Veronique and Gaston for a while."

"In the case that Tarlyn and Selwyn succeed in the next month or so, that means we're safe for a while. If they don't…well…"

"You can always pull a few strings," Bella whispered to me with a wink. "I'm sure your dad will listen to you if you insist that the Goyles haven't been treating you well."

"Thank goodness Thomas Goyle isn't important enough to become family," I said at last. "Imagine if we were siblings!"

"Ugh! I can't believe we have to be stuck in the same house, much less family!" exclaimed Cissy. And from that moment on, I had an in-house rival who probably didn't even pay enough attention to me to know my name.

* * *

"The rumors," I murmured into Fang's chest while we both sat on the bench in the gazebo, watching the sunset. He hugged me closer.

"Ignore them, Max," he whispered into my hair. "They're not worth it."

"But my friends are," I whimpered. "Bella's Queen and Luce's King; I can't ask them to give up their spots just for me."

"Maybe you won't have to, Max. What's traumatic now might not be so traumatic in a few days, so relax. After all," he smirked slightly, "All the wannabe people tend to have a very short memory span and this'll all blow over in a few days."

"I hope you're right," I murmured.

He kissed my hair lightly. "Trust me, Max. We'll be fine."

"I'll believe it when I see it," I muttered. The soft silence seemed so peaceful, when he spoke, I winced.

Max, I was thinking the other day, about what you said about my parents maybe being good people."

"And…?"

"What good loves young? I mean, they had to be at least nineteen when they had me. And then they had to have fallen in love a while before and married early. But that means that they would have most likely been married before they left high school."

"Or maybe they were truly good people who loved each other more than the world all over and were really mature for their age and married early because they skipped grades when they were young," I murmured.

"And what are the chances of that?" I shrugged.

"What if you had a twin? Someone who you could bear it though with."

"But I don't. The closest thing I had to siblings was you, Iggy, and Nudge. A twin…" He sighed. "If I had a twin like you, I'd be the happiest mutant on earth. If, of course, I had you by my side," he added with a grin. I blushed.

"But what if you really had a twin?"

"I'd be nice," he admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," I lied smoothly. "Just wondering." We continued watching the sunset for a while. "Girl or boy?"

"Huh?"

"If you could have a twin, would you rather it be a girl or a boy?"

He paused for a moment. "Girl. The world can only have one me." I barely contained my way-too-bright smile. If only Tarlyn was here…

* * *

"I don't care what you have to say!" trilled Bella. "You're going to come with us!"

"Yeah, come on Max!" shouted Cissy. "Don't make us douse you in water!" I made no movement. Sure enough, I was doused in a bucket of water.

"What was that for?" I screeched, jolting awake. I shook my hair out and went back to sleep. Or, at least I tried.

"You can't sleep in that!" complained Bella.

"I am a mermaid," I grumbled groggily.

"Like hell you are!" yelled Cissy, trying to pull me out of bed. (A/N: Does anyone remember this scene from another book? Hmm?) Unfortunately for her and fortunately for me, her petit little self was no match for my mutant strength.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you and Bella plot against me," I grumbled sleepily, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"You did promise us that you would go shopping with us. And we're holding you to that promise," said the twins primly.

"I'll be sure to get some liquor for Halo if you pull me out of bed against my will." Halo shrieked while Contessa laughed and my sisters groaned.

"You want to look your best for Fang, don't you?" Bella coaxed.

"Tempting, but it'll take more than that to get me out of bed."

"If you hurry up and get your lazy butt out of bed and finish shopping for dresses for the Halloween ball, you can spend the rest of the day with him and we won't complain as long as you don't get into our line of sight," said Cissy. I smiled into the pillow.

"Very tempting, but you'll have to try harder." Someone–probably Bella–groaned and then gasped.

"I have an idea!" she announced and ran out of the room. I enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few minutes, before she came barging in again.

"Max, you have to wake up sooner or later," Fang murmured into my ear. I gasped.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Trying to get you to wake up and face the day. C'mon. You know you have to." I groaned.

"Make me."

"I can if I want to, but I'd rather not." I flipped over and stuck my arms out.

"Carry me." He chuckled. With one quick swoop, I was off the bed and in his arms.

"Jeez, you weigh a freaking ton," he joked. "What did you eat for breakfast? Rocks?"

"I didn't have breakfast," I murmured sleepily, smiling at the remembrance of that night I woke on top of him and he said the exact same thing to me.

"I know," he murmured.

"And besides, I'm as wet as a mermaid and as light as a feather."

"Like hell you are, Max. And you better be getting dressed on your own because there's no way I'm doing it. And after a few hours of shopping, we can go to the walled garden," he murmured into my ear. I smiled at the thought of that.

"Okay." I got up and shuffled tiredly over to the bathroom. Outside, I heard Cissy and Bella talking.

"We try everything we can think of and even douse her in water and fail to make her wake up and yet he can wake her up in one attempt," Cissy was saying. "What are we doing wrong as her sisters?"

"Nothing," said Bella. "She's just in love."

**At any rate, the Halloween ball will probably be the next chapter. I want to say there's going to be a surprise, but I can't think of one at the moment so, uh, the surprise it going to be a surprise (if it's there at all) so, uh, surprise!**

**And I might post sketches of some of the characters on my page. If anyone's interested in seeing it, please mention that in your review.**

**Tara Lynn**


	6. NOT AN UPDATE

I haven't updated in a while and I know that I can't say sorry enough. But my computer died a terrible death and won't come back to life (the guy at Comcast has yet to come. If anyone's from Comcast, please help me!) and the only other computer in my house with Word is password protected and my mom changed the password and forgot what she changed to to before she got the chance to tell me. So, my apologies while I attempt to type up the next chapter at my grandparent's house or via Gmail Doc. Tarlyn.


	7. All Hallow's Eve

**I can't believe that I never put up a disclaimer. Well, in that case, I don't own Harry Potter or Maximum Ride or any of the people, animals, mutants, landmarks, etc. that appear in either of the books. I only own anyone you don't recognize and the pie I'm baking in the oven. (Yum!)**

I want to say that I resisted Fang's power to seduce me, but I'm not that strong. When it comes to him, I'm weaker than a Nudge with an unlimited credit card in the world's greatest shopping mall.

"Can I please go now?" I whined. Bella and Halo were looking around for 'the perfect dress' while Cissy and Aella held me hostage. Contessa was paying for her and Halo's dress.

"The less you talk, the faster we can release you into Fang's custody. Beside, the Lily, Nudge, and Angel are dragging him and the guys shopping too so you wouldn't be able to do anything even if we let you go," said Bella calmly, plucking a silvery white floor length gown from a rack. "What do you think of this, Halo?"

"This can't be legal!" I wailed. Halo snorted.

"Of course it is. We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't." I continued struggling against the Third Years' grips. It really stunk because I knew that I could escape from their grips but I wasn't allowed to display my super human strength. What's the point of being so talented if you can't use your talents?

"I like that silvery green one," said Contessa, walking over to us. She took a dress off the rack and held it in front of me.

It was beautiful. There was a thick strap on one shoulder and none on the other. I flowed down to just above the floor and there were thousands of silvery rhinestones placed on the dress in certain clumps to make the dress appear as if it were made of a reflective material. (Think Taylor Swift VMA dress.)

"Go try this on." Cissy and Aella shuffled me to the changing rooms, threw me in with the dress, confiscated my wand, and both leaned against the door so I wouldn't escape. Or so they thought. I quickly changed into the dress, which was nice and flattering emphasizing my good qualities and diminishing my bad ones, like for example, how freakishly boney I was. I smiled at my reflection and dove into a shadow and arrived clumsily at the gazebo where, sure enough, Fang was waiting for me in a tux.

"Seems like you were think along the same lines I was," he said, smirking. "And don't you look nice."

"Thanks," I murmured into his chest. "You too."

"Are you planning to wear that to the Ball?" I nodded. He chuckled. "Won't Laurence be jealous of me and hurt me dearly?"

"I'll save you," I murmured softly.

"Mmm, you better go back before they find out you're missing," he added softly. "I better get back too. As soon as we're both done, we'll meet here, 'kay?" I nodded and reluctantly slithered back into the shadows where my little sister and Aella were still waiting patiently outside the door.

"Done," I muttered wearily and they flung open the doors and their mouths dropped. "What?"

"You. Look. Awesome!" shrieked Aella as she dragged me out of the changing rooms.

"Bella! You won't believe how awesome Max looks!" yelled Cissy in delight. I cringed and braced myself for the pain my ears were surely about to receive.

"He's going to love you!" squealed a familiar but unexpected voice. Zohra bounced up and down. Besides her, Selwyn and Tarlyn laughed.

"He already loves her, Zohra, so relax. There's not a whole lot of drama that we don't know about," said Tarlyn calmly.

"But it's so cute!" she squealed, bouncing up and down. "You should get it!"

"I know, I am," I muttered darkly. I turned to Bella. "After I but this, then am I allowed to go?" She sighed.

"Fine, whatever." She tossed me a pouch of Galleons and waved me off while Zohra bounced around me.

"My twin brother has a girlfriend," Tarlyn sang softly to herself, just loud enough for Selwyn, Zohra, and I to hear. She stopped suddenly. "Did you tell him that I'm his sister yet?"

I shook my head as I paid for the dress. "You told me not to, remember?" She sighed. "Why? Do you want him to know? I mean, he'd love to have a twin sister. I asked him."

She shook her head and smiled mysteriously. "No, not yet. After I'm Queen. I've got enough drama to handle as it is."

I simply rolled my eyes as I left the store. The day Tarlyn was a drama queen was the day I became Prime Minister.

* * *

"Escaped them I see." I spun around to see a smirking Fang that I was absolutely sure wasn't there moments before. But then again, the clouds were blocking out most of the sun so there were a lot a shadows. Fang's form flickered lightly. I could barely see him. And the fact that he was in the darkest corner of the gazebo didn't help at all.

"Couldn't you move out of the shadows where I can see you?"

"Nah." But I watched as his figure became a bit more solid, more defined.

"Much better." He held out his arms and I ran into them. I could smell him, his subtle scent that made him Fang. I had never really appreciated it before, like when we were crammed together on that gleaming red train, but I did now. More than ever. I smiled at the thought of it.

"Hey, Max? Remember when I asked you who you saw die and you told me you didn't know?" I froze. No. No, no, no, no, please, no. "Max?" I forced myself to respond.

"Yes?"

"You saw someone die and I know you remember. Max, who was it?"

"I-I can't tell you," I said at last. "Not now. Maybe later." I could sense him disapproval but if he had any comments, he kept them to himself and let me remember my first murder viewing, my first kill, the reason why I could see the bony gray horses, in peace…

* * *

I could feel the power that radiated from him. My father, I mean. After years of homeschooling, he had decided to show me the hands on stuff. This was why I was being trained. I was his daughter and when his loyal followers turned traitor, I would be there to stop them from killing him. I had to. It was my duty.

It was my life.

So, if I was alive why was it that I could barely feel my toes in this bleeping weather?

"Lionel, it's so cold," I whispered, shivering as another gust of frigid air nearly blew my featherweight body away. I rocked perilously on my feet. He looked at me sympathetically.

"The Dark Lord should be back by now."

"You mean dad?"

"I-yes. Sure. Dad." We waited, me tucked into Lionel's clock so I wouldn't freeze to death. Finally, my father and some of his trusted advisors came into sight.

"Lionel," hissed my father as soon as he was close enough for us to hear over the strong and gusty winds. "My daughter?"

"Yes, master." I reluctantly came out, prepared for the cold shock. Father frowned.

"Are you cold, Max?"

"I'm fine," I lied. He was my father and I wanted to make him proud. I could never show weakness in front of him. I couldn't suppress a shiver though when another wind blew through what little clothing I had on to protect me from the harsh winter winds.

Of course, there are billions of lies told each day. The most common one is 'I'm fine'.

"No you're not," he said calmly and waved his wand so that a cloak appeared. I put it on gratefully. "I am your father, Max. I know what you can stand and what you can't. Now come along."

"Can Lionel come too?" I asked. I was afraid of what might happen. I loved my father and trusted him, but he was never good at comforting me like Lionel could.

"If you wish," he said, uncaringly. Lionel smiled tightly and stood close by me. "Now, Max, these people have done us a great wrong. They are the reason why your mother's sister and her family are with us no longer. They are afraid of witches. So they took away her wand and burned them all. So now, you will watch as I kill them." I said nothing, though I was itching to try out the killing spell he taught me last week on an actual person. Killing plants just wasn't cutting it.

"Don't you think she is a bit young for this, Lord?" asked Lionel uncertainly.

"Lionel Travers, I know you care a great deal for her, but this is for her own good. She needs to learn what we're fighting against." We all walked forward until we reached a rundown town where a large pyre large enough to fit several humans stood in the middle of it. Around us, there were no children playing the streets or happy housewives doing their Sunday shopping. Rather, there were scary looking people, leering at us as we passed. Lionel was shifting around me nervously but I was absolutely amazed. Could father really have the power to bring down a place as large as this?

"I think we should stand back, Max," whispered my brother.

"Lionel," my father hissed suddenly and my brother nearly jumped out of his cloak. "When I give the signal for the Death Eaters to start firing, make sure Max sees at least one kill before bringing her away. I don't want her to get hurt, but she needs to see. And if she can see thestrals, it will be better for her." Lionel nodded in relief. We were silent for a few minutes. We didn't move we didn't make a sound; all we did was observe the people in this ratty place they called a home bustle around, casting us strange looks. Eventually, a man approached us.

"What do you folks want?" he sneered in his nasally voice.

"I would like to know, was it this town that burned the witches and wizards Veracity, Ajax, Pollex, and Timor?"

"Yeah, it is. How does this concern you?"

"Because you had no right to do that."

"They were the witch and her vermin children!" the man squawked. "They don't belong here. They built a house so much better than ours with just a wave of their wand when we've worked so hard to get a living space! And they wouldn't help us gain land and control over the other villages, so we killed them. They were traitors."

"You killed Aunt Vera because they wouldn't do your selfish deeds for you?" I burst out.

"Do you know who I am, little girl?" he leered at me. Despite his hideous appearance and yellowing teeth, I stood my ground.

"Do you know who _I_ am, old man?" I shot back angrily.

"My little girl," murmured dad proudly. "She's just as amazing as her mother."

"I'm the mayor of this town. All I need to do is tell them that you're a witch and they'll burn your pretty little head right off," said the man.

"You don't need to tell them I'm a witch," I snarled, drawing out my wand and jabbing it so sharply into his face that blood spurted out. "I can show them myself, thank you very much. Permission to kill, father?"

I could almost hear his smiling. "Permission granted."

* * *

"Max, Max wake up." Fang shook my shoulders lightly. I opened my eyes and saw his concerned face looking down at me. It was dusk out. The sky was the exact same color as when we had finished destroying the town. It was dark and gloomy, yet happy, in a way. Smiling down at us with the sun's golden rays, yet so dark and bittersweet, like it was the end of a time of sadness.

"Did I fall asleep?" He nodded. "Shoot. How long was I out?" He smiled guiltily.

"A while. You're so cute when you're asleep. So calm, so, so, so free." I blushed.

"Thanks. But shouldn't we be getting inside?" He nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, we should…"

* * *

"It's already bad enough I had to go dress shopping with you guys and now this?" I wailed as my sisters and friends slapped layer after layer of muck and gunk on my face to 'give me a healthier complexion' and to 'clear up my pores' and all that stuff which I didn't understand before yanking it painfully off of me. I was surprised I still had skin. I'd rather just spend time with Fang. Forget the girls and their obsession with dressing up a live doll; I had _him_.

"You know you want to look the best for him," Bella crooned as she put on stuff to 'help balance my skin's pH level.'

"What's this?" I asked as Halo and Contessa both approached me with thick pencils which were filled with this soft black gunk instead of lead and some weird brush like thing.

"It's just eyeliner and mascara, Max. You act like you've never seen it before. We promise we won't hurt you."

"What does it do?"

"It'll help bring out the color in your eyes," the twins said in sync, each of them jabbing brushes and sharp objects at my eyes as I winced in pain and tried to swat them away. Once again, I had no idea how this worked.

"Girls." CaraLena's frowning face appeared in the doorway. "We are Slytherin girls. We don't need makeup or fancy jewelry to look pretty. Because if we did, then the Gryffindorks would be equivalent to a troll with a bad hair day," she said with fake sternness. We laughed softly to ourselves. To my great delight, they also stopped using me as dress up Barbie and left my room to go work on their own appearances.

"Thanks, CaraLena," I said, still laughing softly. I then lowered my voice. "How's Laurence?"

Her face tightened. "Not so great." She absentmindedly picked up a hairbrush and started brushing my hair as a distraction. I winced at every tough knot but CaraLena seemed to have this way of unknotting it in moments. "You did have every right to reject him, I admit, but I do wish you didn't. Not that I wanted you to reject Fang either. I mean, they're both like my partners in crime. One stood by my side and rebelled against our family with me; the other is trying to unite all mutants with me. I don't want to see either of them hurt but Laurence is taking it harshly. If looks could kill, Fang would be dead by now. He'd be dead the moment the school had the slightest hint of you going out with Fang."

"So, how is Laurence?" I asked again, eyeing her meaningfully.

"Oh, you mean like that? He's a disaster. Was in a minor depression for a while. Got really drunk. Tarlyn I-have-a-super-strong-nose insisted that she got a nose full of blood scent coming off him and thinks he might have cut himself. But other than that, he's fine. And he had sex with some Sixth year girl."

I nearly choked on my own spit. "He what?"

"Had sex with a Sixth year girl. His second time I believe? The first time was with Piper Goyle. You know, Veronique and Gaston's older sister? Piper's in fifth year and she is about as dumb as a lamp post, if not dumber. Tarlyn's trying to kick her off the throne. Anyways, he was doing it with Bethany this time around."

"Bethany?" Lionel's girlfriend Bethany? "Is she pregnant?" I asked, utterly shocked.

"Nah, she's fine. Erik almost freaked and told their parents and her boyfriend broke up with her but other than that, Bethany's fine." Bethany. Bethany Greengrass, my big brother Lionel's girlfriend, had had a one night stand with Laurence formerly Prewett. My almost boyfriend. We're they trying to kill the children of Death Eaters here or what?

My mind flew back to the once regal looking chestnut haired girl I had seen with her brother at the Ranks of the Death Eaters. At the last meeting, when Lexus tried to teach us a new complicated spell, Bethany, who was usually the first one to master it, had looked sorrowful and defeated. She hadn't been able to even cast the spell at all during the meeting and constantly cast mean, hateful looks at her older brother. But when you looked at her, really looked at her, she was just broken. It wasn't surprising. From what I heard, Lionel had broken up with Bethany for some reason he wouldn't reveal to me. This was why. I was going to strangle Laurence the next time I saw him.

"Whoa, I can't change your sight anymore. Are you thinking of planning a murder or something?" I flinched at the sound of CaraLena's voice, bringing me back out from my thoughts. Her feline qualities were back and her face was open and curious.

"Yeah, I'm planning on murdering Laurence. Why do you ask? Do you think Willy will get mad at me if I do?"

"Probably. I mean, think of how pissed she'll be when she finds out that Laurence won't be able to pay back his debts to her? Anyways, wipe those chemicals off your face, you look fine normally. And put on your dress, the silvery green one. The one that you bought the other day. Yeah, about that?" she asked when I felt like I surely had a large neon sign with the word 'surprised' flashing in rainbow colors pointing at my head. "Tarlyn came gushing to me about how pretty her brother's date was going to be and I'm pretty sure she wasn't talking about sticking red-head Adrian in a green dress. Imagine how much that would clash with her hair?"

"Huh?"

"Red hair and green dresses work some of the time but Adrian's got super red hair, you know, like Contessa red and the dress is a pale mint green so it would just clash terrible and give those Gryffindorks another reason to pick on poor, quiet, little Adrian."

"I mean, why would we be sticking Adrian in a green dress?"

"Oh, you don't know, do you? Selwyn asked Adrian to the ball."

"Cute. So, who are you going with?" I asked curiously. She blushed and mumbled something I couldn't quite catch. "I can't here you."

"Matthew Aarons," she muttered, turning a deep pink. "He asked me the other day and I couldn't say no to him. I mean, I didn't know who else would go with me and Matthew and I, we've been close friends ever since First year. Not like Me, Zohra, Tarlyn, Adrian, Selwyn, and Jaq close, but you know, close."

"And you're telling me you don't like anyone other than him that you could have asked," I mused. "How about Willy? Who's she going with?"

"Erik Greengrass. They've been together for a while, don't you know? She's the one who found out about Erik wanting to tell his parents about Bethany. Will was pretty pissed too. I mean, you're a pretty close friend of hers and Lionel's your brother and all. She and Erik are kind of drifting apart so I'm a bit worried about her. Don't want her to become another Bethany, that's for sure. But I think she'd be happier without him."

"I can safely assume that Laurence and Bethany are going together, then?" CaraLena shook her head.

"It was just anger relief for both of them. Laurence was trying to get over your rejection and Bethany was trying to get over the way she and Lionel were drifting apart."

"Well, she sure sped that up. How about Zohra?"

"Dave McNair. He's a Sixth year Slytherin. And Tarlyn is going with Jaq as friends."

"As friends…sure…"

"No, really," CaraLena insisted with a hint of sarcasm. "Tarlyn and Jaq are 'just friends'. Who are your friends going with?"

"Well, Halo and Contessa are obviously going with Orin and Jay. Bella's going with this Lestrange person, Cissy is going with Luce, Lily is with Sev, and you know who I'm going with. So, is Laurence with Bethany?"

"No. Didn't you already ask me that? Who's Lionel with?"

"I have no idea. I'll go ask him later. Who is Laurence with then?"

"Um…" CaraLena looked pensive for a moment. "I actually don't know. He didn't tell me and I didn't think to ask." I frowned. One more good reason to not go with Laurence.

* * *

I found him sobbing into a pillow. I was really tempted to grab another pillow and whack him over the head with it but that would have been rude.

"Lionel? Lionel, are you okay?" I shook him. It was so weird, seeing him so weak. He was always the strong one, always strong for me. "Lionel?"

"What?" he asked tearfully between sobs.

"You and Bethany. What happened?"

"You know, don't you?" he asked bitterly. "That would-have-been-yours boyfriend took her to the bed and almost got her knocked up."

"Laurence?"

"Yeah, him. And you saw how he admitted he liked you when I cornered him that day. And now he's off chasing other girls."

"I've noticed," I said in an obvious tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, Max. It's just that, I can't believe he'd do that, after chasing after you he's gone to going after my girl. Is he trying to hurt us all or something?"

"I asked myself the same thing earlier," I admitted, sitting down next to him. "And I figured, hey, I'm not his girlfriend and if he's obsessing over me and trying to hurt me; that's his problem, not mine."

"Aren't you heartless?" he said in a voice that was as sarcastic as sarcastic gets when you've got tears running down your face.

"Maybe I am," I replied. "But he's not my problem anymore. The sooner he gets it through his head that I'm not his little love toy and I won't bow down at his knees like the other girls he's fancied, the better."

"I guess," Lionel mused. "But what about Bethany?"

"Do you love her? Like really love her? Did she love you? And not just use you ask her great big hunky boy toy?"

"Yes…"

"No, Lionel. Do you really love her? Is she the center of your universe? Do you really envision yourself marrying her someday and having children?"

"I-no."

"Exactly. Maybe there's another girl who wants your attention and maybe you like her too. You just don't realize it. But trust me on this one. Bethany Greengrass isn't worth crying over."

"But…but…"

"Lionel, don't make me manipulate you." He slumped down, defeated.

"Fine."

"Now go find yourself a date to the Ball."

"But it's tonight!"

"So what? Find one."

"In two hours, Max! How am I supposed to find someone by then? Don't manipulate anyone," he added quickly and I felt my face fall.

"Just get dressed, go to the Ball, and find someone who's probably suffering too from a lack of a decent date too." Then I got up and left him to ponder over what I just said. Before I could get to the stairs, he stopped me.

"Max, wait."

"What?" Lionel looked around uneasily. Then he approached me and whispered something into my ear. I froze. "You can't be serious."

"I am," he said sadly. "Your father told me. It's true." I crumpled dejectedly to the floor, no longer excited about tonight.

* * *

"Oh, come on, Max," said Fang. "Cheer up. You look like you're about to face an army of death."

"Very funny," I muttered, still in a grouchy mood. I knew that Lionel didn't mean to, but he had ruined my first Ball for me.

"Please, Max?" he begged. I continued to pout.

"No," I muttered.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Still no."

"Will you ever say yes?"

"If you keep asking me that question, no." He stuck his tongue out at me. "Very mature."

"Same to you, my queen."

"I'm not a Queen," I muttered, still bitter. "Bella is and if you try to suck it up with her, Lestrange might punch you in the face."

He laughed. "Very funny, Maximum Ride. Now let's go." He held out his arm and I reluctantly slid my own through his. Holding my head high, I entered the Great Hall with as much dignity as I could muster knowing what my father was planning on doing tonight. I sure hoped no one thought floor length gowns and mocha suede boots looked weird together. Of course, knowing the Gryffindorks, they'd probably be too blind and oblivious to notice. Except for maybe Lily, but she wouldn't tease me.

"Ooh, cute boots, Max," chirped Lily as she and Sev passed by. My brother looked happier than I had ever seen him before.

"Thanks," I called after her. I then turned to Fang. "Where's Iggy and Nudge?"

"Nudge is too young to attend Balls, don't you know? And Iggy…he's around here somewhere."

"Does he have a date?" Fang nodded.

"I'm surprised too," he added, seeing the look on my face. "He's with this little Third year. Aella Rowle, I believe?" I gawked openly at him. Skinny little Aella Rowle was going with skinny not-so-little Iggy Ride? This I had to see.

"Isn't Iggy blind?" I asked.

"Yeah, he is. But Aella's really good with people with problems, seeing as she is a girl with problems herself. Heck, I'd have problems if I had a sister like hers. Hey, speaking of people with problems how's your little sister? Cissy?"

"Oh, she's better than I've ever known her to been," I said offhandedly. "She and Luce are finally willingly acting like a real couple. I can actually now imagine the two of them getting married someday."

"It's not like they have a choice, Max. They have to do it. Their parents signed a contract."

"Yeah, I know. I kind of feel bad for them. They'll never be able to love anyone else."

"True," he mused. "Oh look, there's Tarlyn. Care to go greet her?" I nodded.

"Sure." We moved smoothly across the room with elegance that only a successful mutant could have had. The kind of grace that makes you look twice to wonder if they are really human. In the case that anyone did, they weren't too far off the mark, not like I'd be telling them anytime soon.

"Good evening Max, same to you, Fang," Tarlyn greeted us. Jaq was half a step behind her, looking ironically like her shadow, despite the fact that he was too pale to be one. That is, if you weren't including his clothes. Like Fang, he wore a black tux, but it reacted strangely to his snowy pale skin. Tarlyn, also dressed in black, looked rather strange too, but in a nice way, like Fang did in his tux.

"Hey Tarles. Why so quiet, Jaq?"

"Max, you know Jaq rarely talks anyways," said Tarlyn. "Don't give me that look, Jaq. You know we all love you and you know that it's true." Jaq, unsurprisingly, said nothing. We spoke with them a little while longer, Tarlyn's eyes lingering on her brother every time he came into her line of sight. Eventually, timid little Adrian came over and took them away.

"What do you think of Tarlyn?" I asked Fang. He shrugged.

"She's a nice girl. Really sweet. I kind of like her. In the non perverted way, I mean."

"Yeah, same here." We kept on walking. "Would you think of her as a sister?"

He mused over it for a while. "I don't know her that well," he admitted, "so I can't say she's my sister. But from what I've heard about her from my years of blending into the shadows, I'm rather jealous of Selwyn. He has her for a twin. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," I said quickly. I looked around the room. Some people danced and twirled with their partners, some were snogging, others were just talking, and then I saw my brother, Lionel, sitting there and looking utterly dejected. "Excuse me for a moment, please."

"Lionel doesn't have a date for tonight, does he?" Fang asked. I shook my head.

"I convinced him to come in the first place. Don't want him to feel all miserable and alone all for me," I admitted, strolling over to Lionel's side. Fang went to get some food.

"Hey Max," Lionel said wearily once I came within earshot. "Care to join my pity party?" he asked.

"Lionel, Single's Awareness Day isn't until February so no one else is going to admire your loneliness until then," I chided. Single's Awareness Day. Also known as SAD. I used to celebrate it with Lionel every year until his first girlfriend. After that, I celebrated with a bittersweet dad who wishes he wasn't single. I didn't blame him. I kind of wanted my mom back too.

"You're the one who made me come here in the first place!" he complained. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm the one who convinced, not manipulated, you to come here and find another lonely person who would happily become your date, not some girl who's wallowing in her pity with you," I corrected.

He scoffed. "Same difference."

"Come on, Lionel, snap out of it before I snap and explode at you," I whined. I scanned the room quickly for Fang. A red head in a skimpy little flapper dress was flirting shamelessly with him but he showed mild interest and I could feel myself relaxing.

"It's easy for you to say, Max. You, you've got your popularity and your boyfriend and no problems in your life because there is no one your age is trying out sex yet." Now it was my turn to scoff.

"I'm only about three years younger than you."

"A lot happens in three years. Why don't you go back to your perfect little life, Max?" he asked with a hint of bitterness leaking into his voice. "We've only got a few hours until your dad comes with his super special Halloween surprise." I froze.

"Why is he doing this?" I hissed fearfully. Lionel shrugged.

"Lack of their kind, I supposed. Need more of those who can make threats to unwilling people. He wanted it to affect more children so that, you know, they think that he's their leader and they obey him or some sort of BS like that."

"Smart," I said dryly. A proud, miserable figure approaching us caught my eye. "Oh, look here. Someone else has come to join your pity party."

"I'm not here for pity," Willy formerly Prewett snarled darkly. Her eyes were bloodshot. If I could read auras like she could, my vision would probably be obscured in waves of billowing black with Willy in the middle, of it, tinged with dark blue sadness.

"Then what are you here for?" I asked, almost lazily.

"I want revenge. Vengeance," she snarled darkly. "On Erik Greengrass."

"And why would you want revenge of Erik?" I asked, although I already knew why. Erik must have broken up with her or something else as drastic as that.

"Erik broke up with me." Called it!

"Why'd he break up with you?" I asked pleasantly.

"Because he's too infatuated with little miss I'm-so-freaking-la-di-da-perfect!"

"Who?"

"Brigid Dwyer. The freaking Dumb Blond Bimbo of Sixth year," she spat out bitterly. "She's got every guy wound around her little finger. She only wants Erik because he's with me; I know it."

"Why'd she want him because of you?" I inquired.

"Because of Laurence. She can't get him to join her harem so she's taking her anger out on me."

"Mhmm, sure."

"No, really," said Willy. "Haven't you met Lisa Dwyer? She's one of the girls in your year. Little Miss Red Head Wonder. Kind of like Sicily Varner. But unlike Sicily, she's a serious slut. And I mean it."

"We're only in Fourth year," I said. "Are you sure you're not mixing her up with someone else?"

She nodded. "Positive. There's no one quite like them, the Dwyer girls." She lowered her voice. "They have friends; I guess you could call them that. The skinny girls think they're fat, the fat girls think they're skinny, and all of them wear tight, skimpy clothing to attract guys. In my opinion, it kind of repulses them but I guess, to each their own."

I nodded. Then I thought about the girl flirting with Fang, the slutty looking one. Lisa Dwyer.

Lisa I'm-a-total-slut Dwyer was after my boyfriend. Oh no she didn't.

"You're aura just got super dark…"

"You're input isn't needed on this, Willy." I turned to her and saw how she and Lionel were looking at each other, like they wanted to just stare at the other, but it'd be rude to. I smirked. "I'll just leave the two of you alone."

* * *

"Are you setting up Willow-Brook up with your brother or something?" asked Fang, twirling me around on the dance floor. I shrugged.

"I'm not setting up anyone with anyone else. They just got dumped and now they're having a pity party."

"You know, Max, you seem a lot happier now that you were about an hour ago." That reminded me of why I was so miserable an hour ago, thus resulting my back-for-more bad mood.

"Don't remind me," I muttered bitterly.

"Why are you in such a bad mood, Max?"

"I have my reasons."

"Fine," he said tiredly. "Care for some dinner?" I nodded and he led me over to the black and orange table where Lily, Luce, Sev, and Cissy were sitting.

"Hey Max," said Luce brightly. Cissy no longer got pissed every time he talked to me which was a great relief. "How are you?"

"Fine," I said, trying to match his cheerfulness. "Where's the twins and Bella?"

Luce shrugged. "I don't know," he said at the same time Lily said, "Probably making out with their dates."

"Ew," Cissy half shrieked, cringing. "Disgusting mental picture."

"Ew," muttered Lily. "It's the git." I turned around in my seat to see James Potter approaching us. I made a face.

"He's not that bad," Fang murmured into my ear. "I've spent many memorable summers with him."

"I keep forgetting," I muttered. "You're his friend."

"We're only acquaintances," he replied. "A far cry from friends."

"What does he want from us anyways?"

"Maximum Ride, could I have a word with you?" James Potter asked curtly. Lily and Sev sighed in relief. I frowned, unsure of why he'd want to talk to me. As I got up, Fang stood too. "Alone."

"I'll be fine," I murmured to Fang. "Besides, I can kick his ass any day." He smirked and sat back down.

"It's about my sister," James said once we were alone. "Adrian. You know who she is."

"CaraLena's cousin. The seer, right?"

"Yes, her. My parents have forbid me to speak with her or any of my Slytherin relatives, so I have to ask you to pass on a message to her. Tell her that Dante is dead."

I gasped. "What?" I whispered, shocked. "Your parents, they killed him?'

He looked around for any signs of life before lowering his voice. "No. Dante ran away. He probably went to live with our cousin Sabrina. Who knows? But I do know that he's coming to Hogwarts next year as a Slytherin and he'll have a different name. The less people that know about his past, the better. Because this way, my parents might not be able to find him. Tell Adrian all of that. But she has to tell everyone else that he's dead."

"Okay. But why me?"

"Because it's not like I can just go up to Zohra or Tarlyn and ask them to tell Adrian," he said in disgust. "They'd flee from me the moment I came within a foot of them."

"Alright then. I'll pass on the message." As I turned to leave, he called out, "Wait."

"What?"

"Could you also do me another favor?"

"Maybe. Depends on what it is."

"Could you ask Lily out for me?" He gave me puppy dog eyes. I laughed.

"No!"

"Fine. It was worth a try." I smiled and went back to the table where my friends sat. Fang was right. Other than the fact that he was a Gryffindork and I was a Slytherin, James Potter wasn't that bad.

* * *

"Hey Iggy." Iggy grinned as Aella Rowle led him closer and closer to the seat next to Fang.

"Hi Fang."

"Wow, you're actually going with Aella," I said.

"Surprised?" asked the little girl with a slight smirk playing of her lips. "You know, sometimes, it's almost like Iggy can see he knows so much about the people at this school."

"Years of not being able to see does make you learn how to listen to people when they talk," he said, laughing.

"Max!" Lionel was running towards me. He had an anguished look on his face. "They're coming." I froze.

"Lionel, what coming?" asked Willy in a deadly voice. Her fingers were intertwined with his. Aw, they're together!

"They're coming, Max!" he nearly yelled. "Do something!"

"What am I supposed to do?" I wailed. "You're the older one!"

"We could run," Cissy suggested meekly. By the pale, scared looks on the faces of my siblings, I was sure they knew what was coming too.

"Sev, what's going on?" whimpered an ashen Lily. "Why is everyone so scared?"

"Because they're coming to take them away," he whispered. "They're coming to take them away."

"Who is this mysterious 'they'?" A loud howl shattered the calm sounds of people talking and laughing. People shrieked. The walls were being torn down and savage beasts tore through the room.

"What's going on?" yelled a hysteric Contessa. Her twin sister lay limply in Orin's arms, probably weak from shock. Around us, people were running every which way, trying to get away from the monsters. They were screaming, shrieking, yelling for help. Everyone was going berserk. Everyone except for me, my siblings, and some of the members of the Ranks of the Death Eaters, who also must have been informed about what was happening. Because we knew that these wild animals wouldn't harm us, in fear of their master.

"Maximum Ride, what in the name of Satan is going on?" Jay yelled in my face.

"Jay, relax," whispered Jaq, placing a hand on his shoulders. "It's fine. Trust us."

"What?" Behind Jaq stood the rest of the SOTG looking calm and unaware of the mayhem. Selwyn and Tarlyn were actually playing Go Fish.

"Do you have any Aces?"

"Go fish. Do you have any fives?"

"You suck, Tarles."

"They won't hurt us," Jaq said. "Not while Max is protecting us they won't." I could have sworn that Tarlyn turned and winked at me.

"What does Max have to do with this?" Jaq rolled his eyes.

"They have orders from their master not to attack Max or her friends. They're only here to attack non-Slytherins."

"Why?"

"I think you can answer that, right Max?" Selwyn asked, smirking. "Do you have any eights?"

"Max?"

"Jay, the werewolves are here on the order of my father, the Dark Lord."

**Ooh, the werewolves are coming. I finally posted the chapter. (Yes!) Except I'm tired now. (No!) See you next chapter! And review! It's not required for the next chapter, but it makes me happy. And when I'm happy, I find the energy to post faster! ^-^ On the down side, I might have failed my math test. (Oops…) So I don't know if mom will let me go on the computer for a while…**


	8. Traitors

**I've been studying for the SAT. (Makes disgusted face) So, let's see how many words in my SAT study book I can fit in this chapter! :D**

"Huh?"

"Voldemort," I hissed at him. "He sent the werewolves."

"Your…dad?"

"Jay, you're really slow today. Tonight. Right now."

"You're father is…" He turned even paler and even started to tint green. Contessa had her hands over her mouth in this delicate, almost porcelain way. Jaq rolled his eyes at her.

"Contessa, they won't hurt us."

_Whimper whimper_

I knelt down so that I came eye level to the young werewolf. "It's okay, Fennir. You'll change back soon." He whimpered some more. I sighed. "I wish I could tell you that you didn't have to bite anyone, but you have to. It's part of your job. But you don't have to kill anyone." I ruffled his fur and he reluctantly slunk back into the thong of people. I sighed again. Fennir was like my little brother. How could dad let him go out and kill people in such a harsh, brutal way? I supposed that the sooner Fennir got used to the idea of killing people, the better off he'd fare but this wasn't right.

Then again, my upbringing wasn't exactly normal. What could you expect, having a dad like Voldemort?

"All the doors are locked and there's no Apparition on Hogwarts grounds," muttered Sev, hugging Lily tightly so she wouldn't be noticed by the werewolves as a Gryffindor. "There's almost no chance of survival."

"Unless they kill all the werewolves…" Luce rubbed his non-existent mustache thoughtfully.

"Which would be very bad for us," whispered a pale Cissy. She seemed very wobbly on her feet. A passing werewolf caught her before she fell to the floor and nudged her into a chair before scampering off. I loved these wolves. They were amazing.

"What's going to happen?" breathed Lily.

"I don't know," I replied tersely. I was just so frustrated. I knew what was going to happen, but I didn't know why this was happening. Strange, huh?

The usually reticent Jaq, however, must have had a character malfunction today because he seemed to be talking a while lot. "Nothing will happen to us. The Slytherins, I mean. You, however, might want to stay hidden because, well, I think you know. It's not like they're going to kill all the Gryffindors or anything. It's hard to control one werewolf; imagine controlling half a school worth of werewolves."

"Do you have any fours?" I turned to shoot a death glare at them.

"This isn't time for games!" I hissed.

"We're being calm and relaxed, Max," said Selwyn lazily. Even quiescent little Adrian seemed to have taken her mind off the werewolves.

"Any eights, twin?" Jaq smiled at Tarlyn; that's the first time I've ever seen him smile, actually.

"No. Go fish."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait it out," said Lionel at last. So we just sat there, guarding Lily, and waiting for the screaming to stop.

* * *

"Fifteen students were killed or wounded and twelve are reported missing," Luce whispered hoarsely to me at breakfast. Less than I had expected.

Even though none of our house mates were injured physically in anyway, the remembrance of last night hurt many of us mentally. The werewolves had left early for some reason so there weren't as many deaths. Contessa had been shocked into silence. Halo was in a coma at the hospital wing. It was so weird, not seeing some students there. Some weren't returning permanently and others had been whisked away by hysterical parents either late last night or early this morning. I had even seen one of Christiana's posse members being dragged screaming and yelling by her furious mother.

"Who's gone?" I asked, feeling rather taciturn that morning. And with good reason too.

"No Slytherins," he said, confirming my thoughts. "But many from the other houses. Kiki Mist and Shawna Keller of Ravenclaw have gone missing. Kevin Ton, Alex Brick, and Kathy Prewett are dead. Effie formerly Gibbon of Gryffindor is missing, too." Contessa squeaked sharply and turned paler still. Jaq, being the good older brother he was hugged her tightly.

"She's probably not dead. Think about it, Tess. If Effie's a werewolf under the control of Max's dad, then we'll be able to see her sometimes. We just need to figure out how to become Death Eaters and fast."

"The Goyle's are gone. Left with their parents this morning," Luce added.

"What?" I screeched. He nodded with a look on his face that was almost grim, if not for the hint of a grin. "No more Piper, no more Veronique, no more Gaston."

"So what does that make Issac?"

"Downgraded. He's not even a prince. The Tyler twins dominated the Fifth years over night. Which means we're safe. For now."

"It's not a good thing, Lucius," Bella said shortly.

"Hey, you don't think the Rides made a run for it, did they?" asked Luce. "Where's your boyfriend?"

I looked around quickly, feeling worried. I almost sighed in relief when I saw Nudge guide Iggy to the table. But no Fang.

"Good morning Max," Nudge said softly, her eyes bloodshot. It was possibly one of the shortest sentences to ever come out of her mouth. Brevity had never been one of her virtues; why was it now?

"Good morning, Nudge," I replied. "Where's Fang?" She shrugged.

"Who knows?" She returned to picking at her meal.

"Are you okay?" Nudge whimpered at first but then sobbed into my robes.

"It's Shawna," explained Iggy when Nudge remained too distressed to speak after a few minutes. "They used to be friends until Nudge got sorted into Slytherin and Shawna got sorted into Ravenclaw. They've been in a fight ever since and they never got to make up."

"And now she's gone!" Nudge wailed pitifully.

"It's been a hard life for all of us." I said calmly. "People die. Get used to the idea if you want to be a Death Eater." She sniffled a few more times and then stopped altogether. "Much better."

"Max," Iggy said after a while. "Can you go find Fang? I'd feel better knowing he was here." I nodded and left the Great Hall in search of my missing boyfriend. On my way out, I collided with Laurence.

"Uh, hi Max," Laurence said uncertainly. Things had been awkward between us for a while.

"Um, yeah. Hi. You wouldn't happen to know where Fang is, would you." He shook his head.

"Nah. I was looking for my girlfriend. Haven't been able to find her though."

"Who's your new girlfriend?" I asked, trying to keep things interesting. He smirked.

"Lisa Dwyer." I gawked at him.

"The slut?"

"Yeah. She's really pretty."

"Laurence, if it wasn't against the rules, I'd slap you really hard right now. Beauty's only skin deep."

"Yeah, I know. But when you talk to her, you find out that she's actually really smart."

I scoffed. "Like I'll believe that. Well, I have to find Fang before Iggy starts to freak out. Want to come?" He shrugged.

"Sure, why not? Maybe we'll find Lisa at the same time." We searched through practically the entire castle, skipping over the locked rooms. They were nowhere to be found.

"We must have searched for at least an hour!" I complained, resisting the urge to throw myself off the Astronomy tower and flying down.

"Feels more like two hours!" Laurence groaned. I remembered how I was an animal mutation and he was not so I kept my mouth shut and didn't tease him about his weakness. Then something hit me. Sort of.

"Hey, what's Lisa's talent?"

"Merging. She can sort of blend into a talent. Like, let's say someone can turn invisible. So Lisa can tap into their talent and use it without their knowing as long as she had physical contact with them." I squirmed a bit.

"I think we better find Tarlyn and Jaq."

"What? It's already hard enough finding two people now we have to find four?" I rolled my eyes and started looking for Tarlyn.

Tarlyn and Jaq were, thank goodness, a lot easier to find than Fang and Lisa. They were out on the Quidditch pitch playing, of course, Quidditch. CaraLena sat in the stands, watching them fearfully.

"Tarlyn! Jaq!" They both looked down and a stray Bludger hit Tarlyn off her broom.

"Tarlyn!" Jaq yelled, desperately pouring on the speed. First word he's probably ever yelled.

"I'm fine!" she yelled back, spreading out her glossy black wings which were, like she had said before, coated lightly in fur. She landed softly on the ground. "You asked for a winged wolf girl?"

"Yeah," I said. Jaq landed on the ground too. "I need your help finding Fang and Lisa."

"Sure," she said breezily. "Let's go." She turned to her friends, still circling around in the air. "See you guys later!"

"We've looked through pretty much the entire castle and still haven't found them," Laurence said tiredly. "And apparently, Max thinks you can help."

"Well of course I can help," Tarlyn said, scoffing. "I can see the invisible. And apparently, you think Fang might be invisible," she added, turning to me. I nodded.

"I've run out of explanations. Unless you can come up with a better one, that's what I'm sticking to."

"Maybe he just went for a fly in the Forbidden forest. I know have many times."

"They've posted guards around the entire forest. I couldn't get in there even if I was a fly. Or Andrea Aarons."

"Her name is Andre."

"Same difference."

She shrugged and started looking around. Eventually, Jaq disappeared into the sunlight but I could see his shimmering hand intertwined with Tarlyn's. Yeah, they were 'just friends'.

We kept on walking and walking. At some point, we ran into Andre.

"Hi Andre."

"Hey. You're the Fifth year Queen, aren't you," she asked Tarlyn.

"Yeah, I am." Andre smiled at her.

"I think that's awesome. I want to be Queen someday too."

"Cool. Hey, we're looking for someone. Do you think you could help…?"

Andre shook her head. "I can find passages, clear pathways, and directions, not people. Sorry."

"It's okay," said Selwyn. "Bye." And the search continued.

Every now and then, one of us would whisper, '_Alohamora_' and Tarlyn would peak in. Fifteen minutes flew by. Then thirty. At nearly forty-five minutes, Tarlyn peeked into a darker room and quickly looked away, her mouth in a silent scream.

"Tarlyn, what is it?" Jaq whispered softly to her. I tried to look in the room but Tarlyn swatted me off.

"Don't, Max," she breathed. "I want to do it."

"Do what?"

"This." She beckoned for us to follow and then marched right into the room and slapped Lisa and punched Fang. I nearly screamed, not because Tarlyn's inhuman strength would make it hurt more, but because there, in the middle of the room was a half naked Fang clutching Lisa's completely naked butt.

"Max, Laurence, you should leave," Jaq hissed out of the side of his mouth, his face cold, emotionless, and stony. Laurence did as he said but I stood my ground.

"I've got a whole lot of things to say to my ex," I snarled darkly. If my talent was controlling fire, there'd be a huge wall of fire in this room right now. At the moment, I wasn't even sure if my eyes were their natural color. Jaq shrugged.

"You're allowed to do whatever you please. I'd feel the same way to if it was…" He shut his mouth quickly.

"If it was Tarlyn," I finished for him. He said nothing but smirked a bit.

"I can't believe you!" Tarlyn was screeching at Lisa. "YOU are supposed to be a student at this school. A student! Not a prostitute!" She turned to her brother; I could see that it was breaking her to yell at him. It probably hurt her more that he'd been having sex with a girl she hated and cheating on her friend. "And YOU! I can't believe you'd do something like this! I thought you were a good person, Fang Ride!"

"Are you done?" Jaq whispered. "Max would like to put in a few words of her own." Tarlyn looked at me somewhat sympathetically and then turned viciously to Lisa.

"You're dismissed." Lisa quickly put her clothes back on and scurried out of the room, colliding into Laurence.

"We're through," he snarled at her. "If you can't stop throwing yourself at guys left and right, then I guess I can't be with you anymore."

"But–"

"Save it," he said putting up a hand to stop her. "I don't want to hear it."

"You are NOT dismissed, Mr. Ride!" Tarlyn screeched at a shadow by the door. Stepping into the sunlight, Fang tried to make a run for it, but was stopped by an invisible force.

"I think not, Mr. Ride," Jaq whispered darkly. "You'll be staying here until Max is done chewing you out."

"So, Fang," I snarled at him. "I just wasn't enough for you, huh? Not skinny enough? Not perfect enough? Not drop-dead gorgeous like Lisa is, huh? That's why you were trying to get rid of your virginity with her, weren't you. Of course, this can't be just the first time. You've probably lost your virginity a long time ago."

"Max…"

"Shut it. I just went though mental torture yesterday, watching my little cousin trying to fit in with the rest of the werewolves in killing people. And then you go off and ditch me and have a nice time fucking Lisa the slut. I've been looking for you for hours. Iggy had probably already flipped his lid because he doesn't know where you are and I haven't been able to find you. I've been worried sick for hours because I thought you might have gone into the Forbidden forest and got ambushed by stray werewolves! And all because of what? Because you're a filthy, lying cheater! The moment my back was turned, you went and tried to fertilize Lisa's eggs. I can't believe you."

"I don't believe him either," Tarlyn hissed. She jabbed him sharply in the chest. "You know what, Fang Ride? I am your freaking _sister_, and I can't believe you'd do this. For years, I've tried to act like a normal Fifth year girl, tried to pretend like I was really Selwyn's sister. Yet underneath it all, I was your twin, Fang. We were separated at birth, did you know that? We were _twins_. I didn't know that until I tried to search up our birth parents. For years, I admired how you could be so amazing while still being an outcast. You're older than me by five minutes, you know. I was really proud on the inside that you were my brother, even if I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. I've always been. Up till now."

"My sister?" he asked, scoffing, refusing to look at me. "That's the biggest piece of shit I've ever been fed in my entire life. Sister. Ha!" He laughed bitterly. "Don't trick me."

"She's really your sister, Fang," I said darkly. "Whether you like it or not, you're still twins."

"Max, don't tell me you believe her."

"I do believe her."

"Max, I know me better. Do you think I'd lie? I'm your boyfriend."

"My _ex_-boyfriend," I corrected. "And, yeah, I think you'd lie to me without a second thought. Come on, Jaq, Tarlyn. Let's go."

"My brother," she snarled under her breath as we left. "Pitiful. Thank goodness no one knows that we're twins."

"Tarlyn, you're not like him," Jaq said soothingly. And at that moment, I was just so jealous of Tarlyn. She had someone to comfort her when I didn't when I needed someone the most.

* * *

"So you and Fang broke up." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, Iggy, we did. I couldn't take it, him running his hands all over the slut's big boobs."

"I guess he deserves it in a way," Iggy agreed. "What do you think, Nudge?"

"Well, I kind of wish you guys were together, but he shouldn't have been doing what he was with Lisa, or anyone for that matter. I mean, he's your boyfriend, well, he's your ex now, and cheating on someone, no matter who they are, is just wrong. Hey, if you guys aren't together anymore, does this mean you won't do my hair in the mornings anymore?"

"Don't worry, Nudge. Just because I'm mad at him doesn't mean I'm mad at you," I said, tickling her. She giggled.

"That's good to hear. Because I was really worried, you know, that you'd be all mad at us because we're his siblings and you're all mad at him and I thought that since we're so close, you'd shun us just to get to him and–"

"I'd never do that, Nudge," I said, cutting her off.

"Get away from them. They're my family." I turned coldly to face Fang's stony face.

"Why should I? They're my friends."

"Jeez, Fang, did you go through an attitude change or something? Because you seem really mad. I've never seen you like this. You're like all stony and cold. Max is our friend and we don't want her to leave, right Iggy?"

"Right."

"If you have a problem with that, you can leave and I don't care if you're my brother or my enemy. The way you're acting, it's all the same to me!"

"So it comes down to this, doesn't it," he asked bitterly. "You'll stick with the slut instead of your own brother."

"I am not a slut!" I screeched. "You're the one who was fucking Lisa Dwyer and trying to get your dick up her ass! I thought you were my boyfriend! But she was just sexier than me, huh? She'd have sexual intercourse with you when I wouldn't and that's why you betrayed me! And you call ME the slut?" The entire Great Hall was silent now. You would hear a wand drop if someone did.

"Well that's just great! You fucked Lisa Dwyer?" shrieked Sicily Varner. "Oh I get it. It's because she's easy, huh? For years, I've tried to get your attention because I thought you were lonely! Didn't you notice when I stopped? It was right after I found out that you and Max were together. But apparently, she's not worth it! Because even I wouldn't cheat on my boyfriend or steal someone else's!" Even Sicily Varner wasn't half as bad of a slut as Lisa. Wow…

"Fang Ride and Lisa Dwyer?" asked a surprised Gryffindor. "Unheard of! Preposterous!"

"Ugh, pitiful," murmured another Ravenclaw.

"Poor Max," said a sympathetic Hufflepuff. "And just a few days ago, she suffered from the loss of so many peers."

"It's a good thing I never tried to ask him out."

"Do you think she'll say yes to me?"

"I can't believe he'd do something like that."

"Look at how strong she is still."

"She'd make a good Queen for Fourth year."

"That girl just seems to have the worst of luck. First she hates his guts, then they fall in love, and now she hates him again."

The soft clamor of gossiping students calmed me some. They were all on my side. I could put on a good show. To them, I was tough, I was strong, and I could be a Slytherin Queen easily. But on the inside, I was crumbling like the burnt houses of the ghost town that once killed Aunt Vera. He was my best friend, the one who I could trust when I could trust no one else all those years ago in the cages at the School. Who knows? If we had grown up together outside of the School, we might have been like half twins. Like what Tarlyn and Selwyn were.

"Max," whispered Laurence. "We need to go. You can't just stand there wallowing in your misery forever." His eyes were ringed in red, bloodshot from crying. I nodded once and walked forward, hurting with each step I took. At last, I sat down with my family.

"Oh, Max," Lionel murmured, hugging me. "I am so sorry." Willy looked sad and weepy like her namesake, Willow-Brook. The Willow tree on the side of the flowing brook. The one that wept when the stormy clouds brought rain. Willow-Brook.

"Hey, you and Willy are together, right?" I asked him, trying desperately to keep my voice from trembling. I couldn't break down right now. Not in front of them and especially not in front of Cissy and Aella. I might scare them.

"Yeah, we are," replied Willy, smiling.

"Congrats. At least there's something to be happy about."

"Max…"

"Luce, save it."

"Can I talk to you? Alone?" A hint of jealousy flashed through Cissy's eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. I guess she was still adjusting to being our friend.

"Fine." I stood up and trudged out of the Great Hall. I ran into two Fifth years I had seen once or twice at the Ranks of the Death Eaters.

"Oh my gawd, Max, we heard about you and…you know. We're really sorry," said one of them. I nodded unresponsively and kept on going. They didn't look too surprised at my rudeness. I suppose they were expecting it, seeing all the crap I'd been put through today.

* * *

"Max, I don't think Fang's acting like Fang. He's recently become very…distant," said Luce once we were alone in the Slytherin common room. "I thought I was just imagining it last night but he didn't seem like himself when the wolves came. I mean, sure, Zohra, Aella, and Adrian were scared out of their minds and I wasn't expecting them to say anything and Orin was too concerned about his girlfriend's well being. CaraLena wasn't there with us when they attacked, period, and Iggy was freaking out because he had no idea what was going on. But Fang…he was at perfect ease. But he didn't say a word. It was beyond weird. He didn't even bother tell Iggy what was going on."

"I'll admit that's a bit different from what he usually does, but does that matter? We were all acting differently. We could have died."

"Yeah, but Fang was just completely unresponsive. I bet he didn't even hear you when you said that you were your father's daughter."

"Eh. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"What you shouldn't have found out about him and Lisa won't hurt you either, will it?" Luce asked accusingly. "I didn't know about it either but what if right now, instead of being all sad and miserable, we didn't know that Fang and Lisa did what they did? Would it hurt you in any way whatsoever, Max? Or would you let what is unknown remain unknown?" I frowned.

"This is different."

"Different how, Death Eater girl?"

"Shut up. Someone might hear."

"We're all Slytherins here. So how's it different?"

"He had a choice. He could have just not had a sexual intercourse with Lisa Dwyer. But he did. Me, I had no choice of who my father was. I was born with him as my father. I had no say in it."

"But look at Willow-Brook–"

"It's Willy!" she corrected, walking in with Lionel. We waited until they were out of earshot before continuing our conversation.

"Like I said, look at Willy, CaraLena, Laurence, and all the other disowned. They had no choice, no say in what family they were born in. But look at them now. They're Slytherins going against their family because they fought for this freedom from them. Not that I'm saying that you should have done the same; I rather like the fact that you're part of my family. It's just that, you had a choice too." I groaned. Sometimes I loved Luce as a brother but other times, his astounding logic crushed all the love out of me.

"Luce, why are we having this conversation?"

"I just wanted to tell you that maybe you should cut him a break. He hasn't been himself."

"Cut him a break?" I screeched shrilly. "I'll cut him a break when Hell freezes over!"

"PMS-ing?"

"No!"

"Regular pissed at men syndrome?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so too. See you, Max."

I slouched on the floor. "Sometimes," I said to myself, "I wonder what would have happened to Fang, Iggy, and Nudge if I wasn't there."

* * *

"Hey, Max?" Bella asked me the next morning. Iggy and Nudge had also started sitting with us, making them instant Prince and Princesses. Fang was wherever he was, not like I cared. I'd probably guess he was where Lisa was though. Bitch.

"Yeah?"

"What would you think of taking my place of Queen?" I did a spit take. The pumpkin juice landed on Sev.

"Ew, Max!" I ignored him for the time being.

"Me? Queen?"

"Yes, you," said Bella, rolling her eyes. "I'm so sick of everyone looking up to me, expecting me to be perfect and seeking me out for answers and advice. And since practically all of Slytherin house thinks you should be the Fourth year Queen, I thought, why not? You're perfectly qualified and pretty much everyone would accept you. Except for maybe Fang and Lisa but you know, they're a special case."

"I don't know," I said thoughtfully. "What are my responsibilities as a Queen?"

"Same thing as a Princess's. You have to be strong, look your best, act like you're all that, and have the admiration of the entire year."

"Sounds simple enough," I mused. Bella chuckled.

"It is."

"Then why are you quitting?"

"Like I said, you have to look perfect all the time. You have to be on your best all the time. And I don't think I can take the pressure anymore. I'm pretty sure you can though, being who you are."

"The great, the wonderful, Maximum Ride?"

"No. Your father's daughter. If you can't stand the pressure after all you've been taught homeschooled, then I don't think anyone can handle it sanely."

"Then, in that case, I'll take the job."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not? You make it sound so simple."

"It is. Just follow Luce's lead. He'll be able to help you through the first few weeks."

"And," I said, turning to my brother, "I am terribly sorry that there's pumpkin juice on you, Sev."

"Apology not accepted."

"Mostly because I should have spit it at Fang."

"Apology accepted."

* * *

And so I transformed practically overnight from a tough, heartbroken girl to a majestic, regal Queen. It was, like Bella said, pretty much the same as being a Princess. Only I got so much more attention which she had conveniently forgot to tell me about. People from other years respected me too; after all, I was the co-leader of my year. Royals from the other years, people I had once thought to be upper class and unapproachable suddenly started talking to me like we were old friends. Of course, in Tarlyn and Selwyn's case, it was kind of true.

"So, Queen Max, how are you enjoying your first day as the co-leader of your year?" asked a cheerful Selwyn. Tarlyn still hadn't completely gotten over her twin's actions and said little. As far as I knew, only Jaq had been able to coax any sentence long enough out of her at all.

"It's been nice," I replied. "What about you guys?"

"Eh. Could be better. It's so overwhelming. No one was there to teach me and Tarles the ropes. And the rest of the SOTG are feeling the pressure more than ever. I mean, we've always been semi-popular and respected in our own way, but this is like the extreme. Tarles and I don't know how to handle all the attention from all these people. Zohra isn't handling it a whole lot better. You should see her. She must have yelled at, like, fifteen Royals trying to get in good with her. And then Adrian, sweet little Adrian, came this close to ripping some Prince's head off! Then there are the other Royals. They're all treating us like we're buddies. Before we became King and Queen, they completely ignored us. Damn, I don't even know half their names!"

"Language," Tarlyn said quietly.

"Wow, you talked. Call Ripley's."

"Your sister's suffering," I chided, ironically feeling better than Tarlyn. Well, she didn't grow up wondering if she was going to die the next day anyways.

"She'll survive. I still can't believe it. He did it. Out of all people, I never imagined Fang Ride to get with Lisa Dwyer."

"Well now you don't have to imagine it," I said bitterly. "You can just look at their dopey wonder over there." It was a strange sight, Fang and Lisa. I had already gotten over the pain of it all; years of killing numbed the emotions. But there was just another aspect of it. Every kiss, every touch that Fang gave her was almost reluctant, like he didn't want to, like he wasn't sure.

But then again, I was probably just seeing things.

"Hey, Max, is it just me or does your ex seem to be acting strange? Stranger than usual, I mean. All of his actions seem so…hesitant. So skeptic."

Okay, maybe not. This business was just too confounding.

"I thought so too, Selwyn, but I thought I was just seeing things. He really seems uncertain?"

"Yeah, he does. Right Tarles?" She seemed vacant. "Spit one for yes, spit twice for no, and spit thrice for I don't know."

"Oh, come on, Tarlyn," whispered Jaq at last. Royalty wasn't suiting his quiet and mysterious aura. "You have to talk sooner or later."

"There's no way I'm going to spit, Selwyn. That is just pathetic."

"She spoke again! This must be a record or something!"

"Shut up."

"And again! She spoke again."

"I said shut up!"

"Listen to her speak! I've never heard her say so–" Tarlyn furiously spun around and punched her brother squarely in the nose. Fortunately, we were the only ones in the Slytherin common room since Fang and Lisa left though it might not have mattered from how loud Selwyn was screeching.

"That was a good right hook," I complimented her. She smirked.

"Thanks."

"You sound like a bat, Selwyn Tyler," CaraLena commented pleasantly, slowly descending from the stairs, her nose in a book. Matthew Aarons was following her around like a puppy dog. It was kind of cute but I could get why CaraLena thought it was a bit annoying.

"She bleeping broke my nose!" Selwyn yelled. His face was contorted in anguish but every time he made a hurt face, his nose hurt more. "SOMEBODY FIX IT!"

"Jeez, relax, Selwyn," I said with a laugh. I pointed my wand at his nose. "_Episky_."

"Agh, ah! Ahh…much better." He touched his nose delicately. "Is it fixed?"

"It's not broken anymore if that's what you mean."

"Yeah. Thanks Max."

"No problem."

* * *

"I heard you're Queen," Sicily Varner said primly to me at Charms class, her nose held high. She reminded me a bit like the old Cissy. Other than Lily and sometimes James, the Gryffindors and Slytherins rarely ever talked to someone from the opposite house other than to yell or argue so I was beyond surprised when this one did.

"What do you mean?"

"You think Slytherin is the only house with people of exceptional talents? I hear things, Maximum Ride. I know what you and your house are up to, even when you don't. I know you all have talents and I know how you have Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses. I'm not daft. You'll want me as an ally."

"Um, okay."

"Really, you do. I'll tell you everything that I know that's going around your house in exchange for your alliance. You're the most popular girl in the year. Everyone's sympathizing with you because of what Fang did and they are all on your side. You're like their leader. You have power. And I can help you become better. All I want is the protection you can give me in exchange."

"What protection? I don't have any condoms." She scoffed.

"That's not what I mean. If you can protect me from people calling me a slut, I'll tell every piece of secrecy that concerns you or any of the Royals that goes around your house. Make me a Royal, and I'll tell you every piece of information the school dares to leak. Shake on it?" She held out her nicely manicured hand with white French tips painted on.

I looked at it uncertainly for a moment. "Promise?"

"Promise. I won't even leak out your secrets or insult you in anyway. Not unless you betray me or break the alliance."

"Okay then." I shook her hand. This was our alliance. She seemed like the Slytherin gone wrong type. Maybe with a bit of work, I could turn her into another Lily. Another Gryffindor yearning to become a Slytherin, a Death Eater. If there was anyone other than Lily who could do this, it'd probably be Sicily.

"And Max?" she added, turning around. "I'm not a slut, despite what everyone says about me. All I want is a boyfriend."

**Ooh, trauma! Wasn't expecting that to happen. Yeah, I'm expecting flames. Ouch… Feel free to scream and yell at me. Don't worry, I know where all this is going.**

**On the bright side, this is probably the fastest I've ever posted up a chapter. That and I fit in a bunch of way-too-complicated words. (Blech) Review, reviewers! You guys make me happy. And apparently, I posted up a disclaimer twice. Oh well. Now you all know that I don't own them. Are disclaimers required on Fanfiction or are people just putting them up so their story has more words?**

**And does anyone know how to nicely tell a guy that you don't want to go out with them?**


	9. The Devil can't afford Prada

**Guess what? Here in the Windy city, it's freezing cold. Just this afternoon, the power went out. They said it'd be fixed three hours ago. And it's not. So while I'm bundled up in layers of clothing, here's the next chapter.**

This slowed down my recruit-the-Rides progress by at least, like, fifty percent. At least Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were on my side. They loved Fang as a brother and like me as a sister. Besides, they were mad at him for what he did. Mostly because Nudge had a grudge against Lisa's little sister for stealing _her_ boyfriend and so was mad at Lisa by default.

"I have no idea how we're going to get Fang on our side but at least we got the other four," Luce whispered to me one day. "Should I tell your father of your progress?" I shrugged.

"Feel free. I have to finish my Charms homework." As I said it, tears threatened to leak out. I had always sucked at Charms as a little girl. Dad never managed to teach me it. He had later hired tutor after tutor but I still could never get the hang of it. Not until Fang. He was the only person who could make me learn them. For a while I had a fleeting suspicion that I had only got so good at them because I wanted to impress Fang, make myself worthy of his adoration. And even after I had gotten the hang of it, we, Fang and I, still did our Charms homework together. It had always been our thing.

"Max, you're trying too hard," Cissy said, concerned.

"Yeah, Max," said our sister. "You can't cry in front of your subjects when you're a Queen. You can only cry in front of your Royals. Because there's no way they can see you as weak."

"You said this was easy, Bella," I snapped irritably at her. I wiped away my tears quickly and not for the first time in my life did I wish I could alter images like CaraLena.

"It is easy," she said, shrugging. "Once you get the hang of it, I mean." One of these days…

"Your aura turned black again," a passing Willy informed me. She sat down next to Lionel. I sure hoped they weren't breaking up anytime soon. "How's being a Queen going?"

"Good. Tiring. Exhausting. But enjoyable."

"That's nice. They want me and Laurence to be Queen and King."

"Seriously? That's awesome!"

"It would be. If there was anyone else to call the Prince and Princess."

"No friends in Sixth year, huh?"

"No. Just CaraLena and her friends. And you guys, of course."

"You'd make a great Queen," said Lionel. Willy beamed up at him.

"Thanks. I just need to find other people to call the Royals."

"Speaking of finding other people," said Luce, "I–correct me if I'm wrong–could have sworn I saw a certain Queen call a truce with a certain slut. Would you like to contradict me, Max?" All of them fell silent.

"You've called a truce with Lisa Dwyer?" asked Contessa in amazement. It still seemed so strange to me, hearing Contessa without Halo. I hadn't seen the little angel since she had been shipped off to St. Mungos.

"No, I called one with Sicily Varner," I muttered, glaring at Luce.

"Why did you do that?" asked Orin in surprise. Wow, haven't heard him in a while.

"Yeah. She's not even in my year and I think there's something wrong with her," added Jay. I always found it a bit peculiar how Orin, Jay, and the SOTG were all in the same year but weren't really friends with each other yet friends with us.

"Because she's not really a slut," I said. "All she wants is a boyfriend who she can trust. She just doesn't know how to get one. Besides, she could be a great Death Eater someday. I don't think she really belongs in Slytherin. It's almost as if she's only in there because of family loyalty."

"Which is always a possibility," Luce mused. "I sure hope you're right about her. We need more allies, not enemies."

* * *

"_Kiss me," she whispered. He felt uncertain, as usual. Her eyes became more demanding. "If you don't want anything happening to her, you better kiss me now."_

"_Why do you have to threaten her?" he asked defensively. "She never did anything wrong to you." He was so afraid. Afraid that she would hurt _her_. Hurt his angel._

"_Because I know that if you won't cave when I threaten you, you'll defiantly cave when I threaten _her_," she snapped at him. "Kiss me. Now."_

_He kissed her with such a passion. She believed it. But to him, it was all fake. 'Pretend you're kissing _her_,' he thought. And it worked for a while at least. He got lost in the imagination of _her_ lips, _her_ touch, and the lust that they had created… It worked until she broke free._

"_That was more like it," whispered the voice of the devil. "When you kiss me, I always want it to be like that. Especially in front of _her_." And it hurt him. Because this wasn't his angel, his one true love. This was just an illusion. And as the devil pulled him close to kiss him again, he imagined his angel kissing him. Her soft lips caressing him. And he was sorry. So, so, sorry. Sorry in ways which words could not describe._

'I'm sorry, my angel.'

* * *

"Meeting of the mutants today," Nudge said quietly as I did her hair. I twisted the two locks together and clipped them together in the back.

"Come again?" I asked, my voice muffled by the bobby pins I was holding in my mouth.

"Meeting of the mutants," she repeated. "CaraLena hosts them with the SOTG. Did you know that Jaq Gibbon is a mutant too? He got injected with some sort of albino panther DNA after he was born."

"That's nice," I stated deafly.

"Are you coming?"

"Me? Jeez, I don't know. Wouldn't your brother be there?"

"Fang? I don't know. I haven't spoken to him in a while. He's usually there but given the past few weeks, I don't think he'll be coming to this one."

"Okay then. I'll be there. Where is it?"

"In the Astronomy tower, there's this painting of two angels. Behind it is a door that leads to the room where we meet. No one knows about it except for us and probably Andre Aarons but if she does know, she's been quiet about it."

"Yeah, I suppose so. I've never heard of it before. How's Andre?"

"She's good. She's one of my best friends. She's always really nice and helps me escape the castle for some outdoor time during study periods."

"I guess she could, with her talent and all that." Nudge nodded eagerly.

"So you're coming?" I nodded. "Great! I'll go tell CaraLena." She bounced out of my reach the moment I placed in the last bobby pin. "See you there!"

* * *

_He couldn't. He couldn't go up to her and tell her why he had done what he did. Because even If he did, he couldn't hug her and comfort and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Because he couldn't. He could never tell such an atrocious lie to his angel._

_And yet, his angel had been there for him in his darkest hours. When he needed her the most, she was the little cat whose silhouette brought him back above. If he was lost, her voice brought him comfort, and when he was hurt, her arms would embrace him. This was no ordinary angel; it was a guardian angel, his guardian angel. And he had to protect her now._

_So he went back to the devil._

"_There you are!" The devil's shrill voice pierced the silence. "Come back to me. If you don't want her to hurt, come back to me." He had to, he knew he did. To protect her. To protect his angel._

_So he went back to the devil._

_Lie after lie he spun for himself within his head. This was insanity. But he endured it. He had to. After years of protection his angel provided, could he not protect her this one time? She had to be safe from this Hell the devil had described. The devil and her sisters would take his angel and tear off her wings. "Some angel she'll be then," the devil had once taunted. They would take his wingless angel and burn her. Burn her until there was nothing left, neither a feather nor a halo. He couldn't let this happen._

_So he went back to the devil._

_It was unimaginable, unbearable, life without his angel. Knowing that she was safe from the devil brought him great comfort. But she would only be safe as long as he obeyed the devil. His being away from her would hurt them both, but did it matter? She would still be alive. She would fall in love with another eventually, but she would still be nonetheless alive. And that was all that mattered._

_So he went back to the devil.

* * *

_

"Yuck, the devil wears Prada," Contessa said in disgust. I looked over to where Lisa Dwyer was sitting, getting her filthy little hand all over Fang. The 'yuck' part and the 'disgust' part was right. The Prada part?

"It's not even Prada, Contessa," said Nudge in an obvious tone of voice. "It's all from brands that look like Prada but is a lot cheaper. For crying out loud, those leather boots aren't even real leather!"

"Only you would be concerned about that, Nudge," said Iggy, laughing.

"But it's true!" she said defensively. "It's all disgusting and icky; ew."

"Nudge, Iggy, Max," Willow-Brook's musical voice rang through the babble of students. "We have to go."

"Coming!" Nudge said, grabbing hold of a banana chocolate chip muffin and a little dish of Nutella. "For Zohra; she's been sick all day, poor thing," she explained when I had shot her a questioning look. As far as I knew, muffins and chocolate spread wasn't exactly the best remedy for sickness.

"Zohra hasn't had time to eat anything today so she's been living off what little stored fat she has. She'll need more than just a muffin and chocolate spread but she can hold off until then," Iggy explained once we were out of earshot. "We don't need the school knowing about how much she needs to eat per day. Besides, she could probably duplicate it in an instant if she needed to."

"She's so skinny!" I exclaimed.

"She's a mutant," he reminded me. "She's like us."

"But still! She's like, beyond skinny. What is she? Five seven? Eight? And how much does she weigh? A scant ninety?"

"You're five eight and you weigh a generous ninety," he said, amused before promptly crashing into a wall. "Ouch! This was not here before!"

"That's because the staircases changed," I said patiently.

"The staircases change at the exact time to the exact place each day. It's six p.m. and this staircase shouldn't have changed yet."

"It's six fifteen."

"Well, that explains it. I sure hope you know your way to the astronomy tower."

I nodded, and then remembered that he couldn't see. "I'm nodding, Iggy."

"Great, lead the way, Indiana Jones." I stuck my tongue out at him and then grabbed his hand, pulling him forward.

The room behind the painting of the angels was uncharacteristically large and beautiful. I'd be surprised if Andre hadn't found it yet. The place was big enough for several winged mutants to fly around comfortably. This room was probably bigger than the astronomy tower itself. It appeared almost to be like the Room of Requirement where the Ranks of the Death Eaters were held, only much more amazing.

"Admiring the scenery?" Zohra asked pleasantly. "It's utterly amazing, isn't it? Especially how big it is. I don't think ever the Room of Requirement could top this!"

"It probably could," interjected Dave. "We'd just have to ask for the right thing. This room stays the same as when you leave it and when you enter it the next time. At least it's big enough to fly though."

"Of course, _you_ would think about whether or not the room was big enough to fly in," she said, scoffing. For a couple so close, they bickered a lot. But they were oh so incredibly cute when they fought. It was kind of like when me and…err…

Yeah, don't want to go there.

"He's part dragon, remember, Zo?" asked Tarlyn. She was draped lazily on one of the window seat far up the wall, her long limbs dangling off. "Anyone else want to come up before Willow-Brook—"

"Willy," most of us corrected automatically.

"Fine. Before _Willy_ comes back from hunting down all the members and tells us to come down? Jaq?"

He shook his head in the quick, almost nonexistent way that you wouldn't see unless you were looking for it. "I can't fly, remember?" he whispered softly, his voice carrying despite the fact that we were all chattering about stuff.

"Get Dave or Iggy to carry you up," she said, shifting slightly. "They won't bite. Promise. Well, admittedly, Dave might but then again, he's part dragon."

"I have self control!" he snapped.

"Yeah, as much self control as a Zohra when it comes to Nutella and banana chocolate chip muffins. Speaking of which, you did bring some, right Nudge?"

"Mhmm. Here, Zohra." She handed the super perky mutant the napkin wrapped package.

"MUFFIN!" she squealed and ambushed Nudge.

"Don't kill the poor kid," said CaraLena, laughing.

"Yeah," mocked Selwyn, pulling Adrian in closer to him. "Don't hurt the little kid."

"I am not little!" yelled Nudge. "You are! Look at you! You're so freaking skinny! You look like a palm tree in a t-shirt and khakis! And then there's your hair! It's so spiky and weird looking! And —"

"What does my spiky hair have to do with my skinniness?" he asked, chuckling softly.

"Everything! It's—"

"Don't make me throw a pillow at you!" Iggy yelled, his voice muffled by a pillow. He was laying down face first on a couch.

"Shut up!" shrieked Willy. "Iggy, sit on the couch like a normal person! Tarlyn—!"

"But I'm not normal," said Iggy, his face still making an imprint on the couch.

"You know what I mean! Tarlyn, I've told you once, I've told you twice, I've told you a million times—"

"I've known you for over a million seconds? Wow, that's news to me."

"Get down from there! You could get hurt!"

"If I fell, I'd fly down."

"What if you broke your wings? Then what would you do? Just tell me what you would do!"

"If my wing was broken, I wouldn't even be able to get up here by myself." Willy glared at her and her confident smirk and spun around to yell at some other mutant.

"Jaq, we need to see you in order to have a meeting!"

"I've been out here in plain sight the entire time," he said in his soft ghastly voice. "Are you sure you don't need glasses, Willy?"

"Stop altering my vision, CaraLena!"

"I wasn't doing anything, honest," said her little sister. "Can we just start the meeting already?"

"No," said Willy forcefully. "I still need to go get the two youngest Rides. So sit tight and introduce yourselves." She gestured towards the few kids around my age and stomped out.

"She's grumpy today," CaraLena noted. "Hey, Eron, you dated Tarlyn for a month; why didn't we know that you were a mutant?" The brown haired emo guy shrugged.

"I didn't know you guys were mutants either. So what are you guys? I'm part frog with the brain and wings of an owl." Tarlyn snorted.

"You know, Eron, you've dated me for a month. I'm nothing if not humorous. So, I have to say this. Bird brain!" The way Tarlyn and Eron talked to each other, it was like they had never broken up.

"Hey! You're what? Part wolf?"

"Part wolf and part bird. We're both two-animal hybrid, huh?" They laughed with each other. Jaq was glaring angrily at them.

"Figures. You were always obsessed with drawing winged wolves." The both seemed so comfortable in a way that I never imagined exes to be. I wondered about the connection between them for a moment. It wasn't like me and Fang were ever going to have any sort of relationship like theirs anytime soon.

"Then what's Concussion's animal part?"

"Lynx. The mountain cat. He's been pissing me off about it ever since we found out."

"Oh, naughty Concussion," Tarlyn purred. The black haired boy stuck his tongue out at her. She shifted again and spread out her wings, black and beautiful, like…err…

"Hey, Max, you know Anna, don't you?" CaraLena asked me, gesturing to the little girl hiding behind Concussion. She had tanned skin, like mine, and black hair darker than even Tarlyn and…um…Selwyn's…

"I think. I've seen you before."

"I'm in Fourth year too," said Anna quietly. "I'm part mouse." With her tiny frame and innocent looks, I could imagine it.

"Then there's Andy and Riles, also in Fourth year. Lemme guess. Andy's a lion and Riles' a dog," said Selwyn. The other black hair boy and the brunette nodded. "Told you so, Tarles."

"Hey! I'm the one who said Riles was part dog! You said she was a fish!" yelled his sister angrily.

"For a girl who can see the unseen, you're pretty blind." She scoffed, ruffling her wings slightly. Eron spread his wings out too. They were a pale snowy white with little black flecks, almost like Zohra's wings if she ever had any. Beautiful.

"ZOMG!" Nudge squealed. "They look just like Angel's!"

"I heard my name," said the little girl as she ran into the room, her gas-filled brother half a step behind her. Her angel wings fluttered open, clean and pure. "Max!"

"Oof," I grunted as the little six-year-old girl flung herself at me.

"Tarlyn! Get down from there!" Willy screeched. Tarlyn closed her eyes, tucked her wings in, and rolled off. She fell for several feet and nearly hit the floor before suddenly snapping out her huge wings and landing gracefully on the floor. Her strength and power nearly took my breath away and it sure as Hell knocked it out of Jaq, who's pale, unmoving face showed utter awe.

"Here; now what?"

"The meeting will begin."

* * *

"So, let's get this straight. Nudge is going to find out about Andre. CaraLena is going to find out about Matt. Max is going to find out about Sicily. Who's going to find the werewolf?"

"The werewolf is probably not a Slytherin; he's not ferocious enough. Not worth our time," said Zohra loftily.

"But we should at least find out who it is," said Anna meekly.

"I suppose. But it'd probably be a waste of time," Tarlyn commented. She was laying down in Jaq's lap, him playing with her hair.

"Well, we know what we have to find out before our next meeting," said Willy. "Let's break."

* * *

Ugh. I made a face upon seeing Fang and Lisa grope each other. I tried not to think of the reasons why Fang might have chosen her over me. They were fairly obvious though. I wasn't nearly as amazing as his precious Lisa; she had a bright, fire-red mane, eyes greener that even Lily's, and a huge rack whereas I had nothing.

"Hey, Max?"

"Yes, Angel?"

"You are really pretty. Fang doesn't know what he's missing and that's his fault. You do have really pretty hair and eyes."

"Yup. Brown and brown. Mucho important."

"Nuh-uh. You have little sun streaks in your hair. It's really pretty. And your eyes are like the color of French chocolate."

"You mean the kind that your dad sent back from France that Gazzy ate and barfed up all night?"

"I mean the chocolate _before_ they were eaten and barfed back up." 'Cause that made it a whole lot better. Funky colored brown hair and unbarfed chocolate eyes and absolutely nothing on the top. I'd have to be a complete idiot to not get why he went for little Red-Haired-Wonder.

"Max, Fang loves you. 'Cause you're the best girl ever. And you still love him. 'Cause he's the best guy ever." Angel's voice had an eerie tone of finality.

"No I don't. I got over him. And he's gotten over me, apparently."

"No he hasn't. He still loves you so much. And you love him as much as he loves you."

"I don't," I insisted.

"Prove it," she calmly said back. "Prove to me that you don't love him anymore, Max, and I won't believe that you still love Fang."

"I will."

"Fine." She skipped off, her blond curls bouncing up and down. The late fall afternoon light shown through the window and cast a halo of light on her as she went. Something told me that maybe she was right. But then again, maybe not.

* * *

'My dearest Max,' the letter began. 'Your sisters have informed me of your relationship with a certain Fang Ride. I have no say in this; I neither approve nor disapprove. However, as long as you have gotten the Rides on our side, I will not have any objections to whoever your heart is set on. Which prompts me to ask you, how many have been lured into the clutches of the Ranks of the Death Eaters? Lexus and Alex Nott have informed their father whom of which has informed me that there are currently thirty members. I have also heard from them that your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Sparrow. Please invite her to join our side. Also, two of my Death Eaters, Apollo and Sabrina, have reported only well thoughts in their visit to one meeting. I hope you, in turn, are doing well. Your father, Tom.'

"Would you please call off your raven?" asked the twins in distress as they shooed Charisma off. I clicked my tongue twice and she fluttered off to land on my shoulder.

'Dearest father," I scribbled in my unintelligible writing. 'I am indeed doing well. The relationship between Fang Ride and I has unfortunately dissolved since my sisters have written to you. Fortunately, I was then not blinded by love and was able to see why he shouldn't become one of us. However, his siblings and I are bonding together. There are many new recruits in the Ranks of the Death Eaters. I would say there are about fifty members now. Professor Sparrow does indeed want to become a Death Eater. I have met Apollo and Sabrina. They are very nice. I have concerns about two people under your power though; the two youngest children of Frances Goyle: Veronique and Gaston. They have caused me much grief during their stay at Hogwarts. No matter, I am Queen of my year now. It is a great honor, one that is difficult to uphold. I am fairing finely, nonetheless. Your loving daughter, Max.' I attached the note to Charisma and let her go.

"Thank goodness," said the twins. "We love your raven dearly, but she's no help when it comes to bad hair days."

"I suppose. It's nice to have you back, Halo. Liquor?" She shrieked and toppled over.

"I'm okay!" she exclaimed at the same time Contessa said, "She's okay."

"I was kidding," I said.

"She didn't know," said Orin, smirking. "How's my angel?"

"Max! Quidditch practice!" shouted Luce, running into the Great Hall. "New player. Lionel kicked Fang off the team."

"Seriously?" I asked, running after him. "That's great! Who is it?"

"He. I don't know yet but you're still the only female Quidditch player on our team." I sprinted, pouring on the energy and leaving Luce in the dust. I got to the Quidditch pitch, changed into my atypical uniform, and grabbed my broom. I skidded to a stop on the wet grass when I got there. I familiar face grinned at me, reminding me of hyper-energetic Zohra.

"Hey Max," he said, smirking. "Surprised?"

Laurence also skidded on the grass, nearly crashing into our new Chaser. "You're out new Chaser? Awesome!"

"So, I assume that you all know by now that I've kicked Fang Ride off the team," said Lionel, walking up and down the row, looking at each of us. Most of us were hiding smirks. Those with not as much control over their facial expressions just grinned. "I've replaced him with Dave McNair." We applauded. Vlad and Drac even whooped. "But this does not mean that we will be slacking on the practices. As a matter of fact, this calls for more. We will need to break in our new Chaser. Let's go."

"Chaser, huh?" I shouted to Dave. The wind was blowing harshly, making it very cold. I swooped in on the Snitch.

"I would have tried out earlier but I was sick the day of tryouts."

"From what?"

"I have no idea."

"Genius."

"Hey. That's what they call me!" I scoffed.

"Knucklehead."

"Shut up." I smiled smugly at him.

"Make me."

"Max! Dave! Pay attention!" yelled Lionel fiercely. From the stands, Willy and Zohra were laughing.

"Ugh, that was one Hell of a Quidditch practice," the twins Vlad and Drac grumbled to each other after. I smiled, remembering once after Quidditch practice when Lionel had really pissed off the both of them so they had started shouting profanities in the changing rooms and then professor Slughorn came in for whatever reason. We had laughed about it later in the walled garden, me and…

'_Don't think about him,_' I willed myself and stiffly walked out of the changing rooms. This was getting easier, but it still hurt. Vlad and Drac were still grumbling.

"…wait till I turn into a Death Eater. Then he won't scream and yell at me anymore."

"If you ever turn into one," snorted Dracula. Vladimir scoffed.

"I'll turn into one, you just wait and see."

"How?" Vlad asked.

"Magic. Ooh, aah."

* * *

Winter came slowly yet suddenly. One day it had been a nice, warm autumn and the next had brought cold, gusty winds and soft white flakes slowly swirling down. The warm, colorful joy of fall was now gone, only to be replaced by a colorless and bitterly harsh and cold winter. It wasn't all bad, though; there were still a few colors worth looking at. I got top scores in my classes. Tarlyn was back to her old self. We had won all of our Quidditch matches. And best of all? There was a new permanent mutant resident of Slytherin house.

His name was Dylan.

Dylan, unlike most of us, didn't come directly from Itex. He didn't even come from the U.S. of A. He came from some facility in Canada and was moved here in home, sweet home England, where we unsurprisingly found him. Why unsurprisingly? He was trying, and might I add, failing, at flying. But the wings didn't really surprise most of us mutants. After all, he was just way too supermodel-hot to be just a mere human. He had thick, honey-blond hair which fell gently over exquisite turquoise eyes and framed his tanned face. All in all, he was hotter than the sun and a pretty good space heater, I had discovered one winter afternoon.

We were, as usual, having a snowball fight. When I was young and dad didn't want me to associate myself with the children of his followers just yet, I had snowball fights with Lionel. It always snowed a lot where we were and the Quidditch pitch was big and filled with the fluffy white stuff so we'd play around for hours in the clean virgin snow.

"Not fair!" shrieked Halo, jumping up and down wildly.

"Life's not fair," yelled Contessa to her sister.

"But he just shoved a handful of snow down my jacket," she whined, pointing to a smirking Selwyn.

"Max!" yelled Bella. "Watch out!" I spun around quickly, but not quick enough to notice and run away from the bucket of cold water Jay and Orin dumped on me.

"Gotcha!"

"!" I screeched like a banshee as I tried to get as much water off as possible before it started to melt into my clothes. Sure, I had super human hearing, but in a snowball fight with everyone screaming and yelling?

"Zomg, I can't believe you did that!" shouted Nudge.

"I'm freezing cold!" I screamed. "I'm changing into dry clothes." I stormed into the corridors of the castle where it was also freezing cold and before I could get inside the warm, toasty castle, the water on me froze completely and I couldn't move, not even with my super human strength. At the moment, my mind came up with two possibilities:

1. I manipulate a bird or something to come by and peck at me until the ice breaks and I can move. Pro: It might work. Con: There's not a bird in sight due to the fact that it's below zero Celsius. And it'd probably hurt a lot if a bird started pecking at me.

2. I use momentum to tip myself over so I fall and the ice will crack. Pro: I could probably break free. Con: If I managed that, it'd mean falling on the floor without my hands to catch me. And I'd probably break my face.

I pondered over my thoughts for a few more moments, wondering which one was better, when Dylan found me.

"Max?" His bright blue eyes met my, as Angel put so poetically, 'unbarfed French chocolate eyes', and he smiled a bit. "Stuck?"

"Yeah, kinda." He simply smiled and wrapped his arms around me. Whoa, whoa, _WHOA_! I sure as Hell didn't think that he'd take advantage of me standing here frozen. I couldn't believe–

"Better?" His body warmth had melted the ice off of me and I could move again.

"You're all wet." He shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"I'm fine. But it is a bit chilly out here. Want to go in and get some hot chocolate?"

"Sure. My friends won't miss me." I followed him into a familiar room. At least, the room's location as familiar. The contents of the room however…

"Um, what's with the Room of Requirement?"

"It gives you whatever you require, obviously," he said, grinning. He tossed me an orange towel that turned a pale powdery blue midair. I looked at it wide-eyed for a moment before remembering that this was the Room of Requirement. "Hot chocolate?" I nodded, taking a cup and sitting down on one of the soft plush couches. There was cinnamon, vanilla, mint, and a few mini-marshmallows, just the way I liked it.

"So."

"So."

"Why's it so cold in here?"

"Oh, I forgot." He looked at the wall for a moment and a fireplace roared. It was, I suppose, warm, but the warmth hadn't reached us quite yet. I involuntarily shivered. "Still cold? I can fix that." He sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me again. For whatever reason, he was warm. And I mean _really_ warm. I snuggled against him. "Better?"

"Much." I closed my eyes and fell asleep. When I awoke, it was like de ja vu. I was on top of Dylan; no perverted thoughts please; half asleep when he started shaking me awake.

"Max?"

"I don't want breakfast."

"How about dinner?"

"Wha?" I opened my eyes groggily, feeling unnaturally warm. I flipped over and came face to face with Dylan.

"DOUBLE YOU TEE EFF A-CHE?"

"Hi."

"How long have we been here?"

"About an hour. Why? You said your friends wouldn't miss you."

"They'll miss me if I'm not there in time for dinner."

"Relax. You've got another hour or so. But we should get going." I got up, straightening out my shirt and skirt. He followed suit. "Want to go to the common room? I have to talk to Laurence anyways; it's about the meeting of the mutants and I accidentally called Willy 'Willow-Brook' the other day and she flipped."

"Smooth. Don't you know that Willy gets Christmas cards from her old parents every year?"

"No. Did you?"

"Yes, of course."

"I'm sure you did."

"I did! Honest!"

"Like I'll believe–duck!" He yanked me down sharply. Less than a millisecond later, a flying projectile shot thorough the space my head was only moments before. The object gouged itself in the wall behind us, it's blade quivering ominously.

"That was a close one," he whispered.

"How'd you know it was there?" I asked, cautiously getting up. He shrugged.

"I guess you could say that I can…see things."

"Like Adrian?"

"Who?"

"Never mind. She's one of my friends and she's a seer."

"Nah; it's more like I have really good eyes. I can see things that are far away that no one else can see."

"Cool."

"I know. So, dinner?" I nodded and we both walked down to the Great Hall.

* * *

"Was it just us, or did we see you walking in with Hogwarts Heartthrob Dylan Gunther-Hagen?" gushed the twins. I looked away from them, my eyes finding Dylan's. He grinned slightly at me and then returned to his dinner, where he sat alone.

"Hey!" exclaimed Jay, ruffling Contessa's hair. "Don't tell me you think this Dylan guy is hotter than me."

"He's not, Jay, relax," replied Contessa smoothly, kissing him on the cheek.

"Good."

"So, Max," said the twins. "Did we see you–?"

"You were imagining things."

"We were not!" they exclaimed.

"Yeah, Max," said Bella lazily. "I think we all saw you walk in with him."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"'Did not!' times infinity!"

"'Did too!' times infinity squared!"

"'Did not!' times infinity to the infinite power!"

"Knock it off!" snapped Lily viciously. Sev was laughing silently. "It's not funny." He sobered up at once.

"You still didn't see me walk in with him."

"No, of course we didn't," said Cissy sweetly. "You were going ninja."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was–"

"We are NOT going through this again," snapped Lily viciously. I quirked my head to the side. Lily almost never acted like thins unless James Potter was around."

"It's her time of the month again," whispered Bella to me. I nodded once in understanding.

"MAXIMUM RIDE!" I jumped nearly a foot in the air. Thought someone screaming in _your_ ear was bad? Try being an abnormality with super sensitive hearing and then we'll talk.

"WHAT THE *bleep* DO YOU WANT?"

"Lionel scheduled another practice," said Luce irritably. Cissy looked at her boyfriend sympathetically. "Let's go."

"Seriously?" I asked once we were out of the Great Hall. "Quidditch practice in this weather? What is he? Insane?"

"There actually isn't any Quidditch practice," Luce admitted. I glared at him, wishing I had a book or something to hit him with. I, unfortunately, was out of weapons.

"Then why–?"

"Dylan. Your father wrote back to me and he wants Dylan instead of Fang. He doesn't care how you get Dylan, as long as you've got him on our side in more or less one piece."

"That's it?"

"Dylan…there's something off about him."

"That's because–"

"I know he's a winged bird kid like you and the Rides, Max. That's not what I meant. There's something not right about him. He's more mutated than the rest of you guys. He can…see things. He also doesn't have any cuts or whatever. I saw him slip up with a silver dagger in potions yesterday. He accidentally stabbed the palm of his hand. And by the time we left, there wasn't even a mark to prove that it was ever there." I could feel my eyes widen. This was beyond anything I had ever encountered. This was like…wow…

"Are you sure, Luce? Are you sure he didn't stab something else?"

"Positive. I was right next to him. He was aiming for the little beans we were trying to cut up and then his just sort of missed and hit his hand. I could smell his blood. I turned away just long enough to stir my potion and by the time I looked back, the cut was gone."

"So…"

"I think he's a self healer."

"Are you sure? Because we heal really fast."

"Max, the dagger went through his entire hand. I could see the little point on the other side. I don't think even you could heal it in five minutes." This was intense. Luce was probably right; he was right about the Rides in the first place anyways. There was something about Dylan that made him less human than even, say, Tarlyn."

**So, so, so sorry about not updating sooner. I've been a bit out of it. Hope you guys don't hate me for it. ^-^ Reviews? Please? They mean more than favorites to me. (Although a favorite would also make my day.) But just 'cause I feel like it…**

Max's song:

_Who am I to tell you what to do?  
You're not the type to do what you're told  
Let me tell you you're gonna miss this heart of gold (heart, of gold)_

_You seem too free but you're bitter in the end  
The only time that your hands can hold  
Let me tell you you're gonna miss this heart of gold (heart, of gold)_

~Ashlyne Huff, Heart of Gold


	10. Home is Where the Heart is

**It's almost Halloween! I'm planning on going as a female version of Death the Kid. (Go Google him.) But my parents won't let me spray paint my hair and they'll only let me get hair extensions if they know where to get it. We have a problem on our hands…**

"So, you and Max, huh?" Bella was sitting on the window sill, looking more comfortable than possible sitting on a ledge as stone hard as that one. It was dark outside and specks of white came down thickly. Dylan nodded and I just grinned stupidly. Bella was probably the last one to find out about us. Everyone else already knew. Including, uh, Fang.

Angel made sure of that after I proved to her I had gotten over him.

"He's not taking it well," she had told me. She reminded me of CaraLena, telling me about her cousin Laurence right after, um…someone, asked me to the Halloween ball. Yeah. That.

"That's his problem, not mine." She looked at me in shock for a moment but then it faded. She should have been expecting this.

"I guess every nice person has their mean side."

"Huh?"

"I don't know. I just thought you'd be a little more sympathetic."

"He broke up with me."

"No, you broke up with him."

"He's the one who fucked Lisa Dwyer," I replied smoothly then covered my mouth, realizing that I had just sworn in front of a six year old girl.

"It's okay," she said dismissively. "But he still loves you, Max."

"Like I said, that's his problem, not mine." She just shrugged.

"You're right."

"Max?" I was jolted rudely back into reality. Dylan's beautiful face was only centimeters away from mine.

"Whoa!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. You just weren't responding. She's been asking for you for a few minutes now."

"Who?"

"Charisma." I glanced around and I saw my raven peck and tug at my friends. I laughed. Charisma never tried to bother me. She always got someone else to do her dirty work.

"Come on, Charley. Stop pecking at them. You're hurting my friends," I scolded. She just fluttered over to me and held out her leg. Tied to it was a piece of high quality parchment, no doubt from my dad. Only he had the time and money to go get this sort of ivory white parchment. Either that or he got one of his minions to get it for him. I guessed the latter.

'Dearest Max,

'I am not particularly sorry about the end of your relationship; rather, I am somewhat happy. I hope your brother, Lucius, has informed you of my new request to get this new kid, Dylan, on our side. Although understandable if you can't take on the pressure, I must remind you that you are my daughter and therefore, what you do will affect whether or not we win the war. Also, I would like to have you home for Christmas unless you would prefer to spend winter with your other friends at the castle, which is also perfectly fine. It is also fine to bring some of your potential Death Eater friends to the castle if you wish. Also, Gibbon, one of my Death Eaters, wants a promotion. He's a great Death Eater, but five of his eight children have become blood traitors. So, what do you think? Please write back soon. I miss having you around the castle; my afternoon schedule has never been so empty before. Your father, Tom.'

'Dearest father,

'As coincidental as this may seem, Dylan and I have gotten together. I hope you are not angered by this. I believe that I can get him on our side easily. I am unsure of what I will be doing this winter; part of me misses you but the other part yearns to be with my friends longer here at the school you once loved so much. I do think that they would enjoy coming to the mansion, though. I shall inform you of my decision later. I have met Gibbon's children, Jaq, Halo, and Contessa. They are very nice to me yet very scheming when they must be; perfect Slytherins. I think they would enjoy it if their father was of higher rank. Your daughter, Max.'

"Come on, Charley. Can you take this back to father?" She chirped brightly and jumped around a bit. "I'll take that as a yes." I tied the note around her leg and she flew out the window, black against black.

"So, you and Dylan," said Bella to me. I smirked. "Nice."

"They're so cute!" said Cissy in a dreamy voice. "They're just absolutely perfect together!"

"I know!" squealed Nudge. "They're just so, so, so…uh…"

"Wow, jabber mouth Nudge has run out of words to say," said Iggy, laughing.

"I can't think of another word besides perfect!" she said, distressed.

"I don't think they're any other word to describe them, Nudge."

"But they are perfect, aren't they?" asked little Gazzy.

"Absolutely and utterly," replied Nudge. Angel nodded in agreement. I guess she finally got over her thinking that…Fang…and I were supposed to be together.

"I haven't," said Angel, looking directly at me.

"What haven't you?" asked Iggy.

"Nothing."

"Hey, look; there's Andy, Riles, Anna, and Concussion," said Gazzy. "Wanna go say 'hi' to them?"

"Gazzy, I don't know if you've forgotten or not, but frankly, I can't see anything."

"Iggy! You know what Gazzy means. And besides, they're Fourth years. Other than you guys, I'm not really known by the people in higher years. Can we please go talk to them? I mean, it'll just seem weird if I go up and talk to them but you guys are Fourth years too! If you guys come with me then–"

"Nudge! Zip it!"

"Sorry, Max. Hey, where are they guys?"

"Hmm?" Halo and Contessa both raised one slender brow.

"What? We're not guys anymore?" asked Gazzy in mock annoyance, gesturing to him, Iggy, and Dylan.

"Like Lucius and Sev and Orin and Jay."

"Oh, if you include them, you might as well count Jaq and Selwyn," said Iggy loftily.

"But where are they?"

"Who knows? Who cares?"

"Hey, what's everyone doing for winter break?"

"You already know where we're going," said Bella, meaning her, Cissy, Luce, and the rest of our siblings.

"We're pretty sure we're going to our dad's place," said the twins thoughtfully.

"I don't know," said Angel thoughtfully. "We could go home if we wanted to but I think I want to stay here." Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy nodded in agreement.

"How about you, Dylan?"

"I think I'm staying here too. Why, Max?"

"Because my dad has invited all of you to visit at our place over vacation. Who's up for it?"

"Ooh, I want to go!" squealed Nudge. "Then it'll be like we're really sisters, you me, Angel, and the rest of the girls in your family! I've always wanted an older sister!"

"I'm all for it," said Iggy.

"Maybe," said the twins.

"Are you sure he'll let us all go?" asked Dylan. I nodded.

"He's kind of scary but he's fine with pretty much whatever I do."

"Lucky."

"I'm also inviting the Tylers and formerly Prewetts and all of them."

"The more the merrier!" said Angel in a sweet, angelic voice.

* * *

"We're going to meet Voldemort?" asked Laurence brightly. Willy too looked unusually bright for someone who was about to meet the world's deadliest killer.

"In a sense. He wants to meet potential Death Eaters. Does CaraLena know that I'm his daughter?"

"Not that I know of. Of course, she could be altering our vision right now to make it seem like she's not here."

"Good point. So, can you guys come?"

"Of course. Not like we're going home for Christmas," Willy added bitterly.

"What about everyone else?"

"Adrian's on the same page as us, Jaq has to go to his dad's place, Tarlyn and Selwyn are planning on mopping around the place but I think they'd rather go over to your house, and Zohra's probably following Tarlyn around and Dave's probably following her."

"So you can all come?"

"Except for Jaq, yeah, I'm pretty sure we're all going."

"So what's he like? Your dad?"

"He's awesome. He's creepy sometimes, but he's really a great dad. He's a total genius and a great teacher. I mean, sure, he seems like a bad guy, but he's just a really good guy who knows just what he wants."

"Sounds like him. You're not going to invite Sicily Varner, are you?"

"Nope. I don't think I'll invite Lily either. Dad might throw a fit and kill her on accident."

"Not on purpose?"

"Nah. It'll be 'on accident.'"

"Ha ha, very funny."

* * *

In the end, everyone invited, except for the Gibbons, we're coming over.

"Hey, look! There's dad!" said the twins. They were pointing to a man I had seen around the mansion before. Mr. Gibbon.

"Hello, children," the man said with a stiff smile. Halo and Contessa ignored it and hugged him. He stiffened for just a moment, but hugged them back. "Where's Jaq?"

"Hello, father."

"Nice to have my only son back," he said, smiling. "Your little sister is at the castle. She's adjusting finely."

"Huh?"

"Effie."

"She's still alive, then," murmured Jaq, his fingers entwining with Tarlyn's. Mr. Gibbon nodded.

"This must be the girl you spoke of, Jaq." He nodded.

"Tarlyn Tyler," she said, holding out her hand. Mr. Gibbon shook it firmly and smiled a bit.

"It's nice to know that someone as happy as you has finally gotten to Jaq. He's been so…so isolated."

"Lucius!" A cheerful Mrs. Malfoy ran towards us. She hugged him till his eyes bulged. Bella, Cissy, and I snickered.

"Hi…mom," he squeaked out.

"You're looking so thin! We'll make you all better. And Max! You've gotten taller!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Malfoy," I said, smiling.

"Well, what are you all standing here for? Let's all go!" We hopped into the limo that had brought us to King's Cross several months ago. A while later, we arrived at the mansion. Home.

"Hey! There's Halo and Contessa!" yelled Nudge, pointing. Of course. If their father was a Death Eater, they'd be here for winter break. Something else that had slipped my mind.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked the twins.

"Max invited us," said Nudge. "You guys live together?"

"Not that I know of," whispered Jaq mystically. "So, Max. The gist is up. Our father is a Death Eater. So why are you here? Your father a Death Eater too?"

"I…not really," I admitted just as dad burst through the doors. The Gibbons, Halo included, stay uncharacteristically quiet. My siblings just smiled at him. Tarlyn and Selwyn looked mildly shocked but said nothing. Willy and Laurence gazed at him in awe. Iggy, well, Iggy couldn't see anything. Everyone else just started shrieking.

"OMG! OMG! OMG! What are we going to do? He's right there!" Nudge was screaming, trying to wrap her head around things.

"What's going on?" asked Iggy.

"You guys! Relax!" I yelled. Whatever 'relax' meant to them, it apparently wasn't 'calm down.'

"Willy! What's going on?" screeched Zohra desperately. Adrian was too shocked to say anything.

"DON'T MAKE ME MANIPULATE YOU!" I yelled. That shut everyone up. "Everybody, this is my dad, Tom Riddle. Dad, this is CaraLena, Willy, Laurence, Tarlyn, Selwyn, Adrian, Zohra, Dave, Orin, Jay, Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, Angel, and Dylan."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you all, friends of my child," he said pleasantly. Of course, 'pleasantly' from my father is actually really creepy. Why wouldn't it be?

"This is Lord Voldemort," whispered Zohra sounding small and scared.

"Yeah. This is my dad. Anyone want to go find their rooms?" No one? "Don't worry; you're not here to be killed. You're here to get in and personal with my dad." Still no one? "This will increase your chances of becoming a Death Eater?"

"Oh, sure. Is my room snow leopard-y? You know, white with black spots? That'd be really cool."

"Ooh, if she's getting a room like that, can I have a tiger patterned one?" asked CaraLena. I smiled. Much better.

* * *

"Ohh," groaned Nudge. "This is sooooooooooo good!" She was eating crème brulee. Her twelfth serving of it.

"How can you eat so much without barfing?" asked Selwyn in fake disgust.

"Are you calling me fat?" asked his sister, glaring.

"Err, how can you eat so much and stay so skinny?"

"Much better."

"We're mutants; you know that," said Dave. "We're _supposed_ to eat a lot."

"_You're_ supposed to eat a lot," corrected Dylan. "I think I'm about to puke."

"I vill now eat tventy crème brulees visout bafing!" announced Gazzy.

"Eew!" shrieked Halo and Contessa. "If you're going to do that, do it after we leave!" They scurried out of the room quickly and up the stairs.

"It's faster if you go up the north stairs," dad called out to them. They came back down and went up another set of stairs. "The north one!" Back down, back up. "The ones with the green carpeting!" They went back down once more, looking tired, defeated, and out of breath. Slowly, they trudged up the north stairs.

"Tventy crème brulees!" Halo and Contessa shot up the stairs faster than I had ever seen anyone do before. Jay snorted.

"Girls."

"So, friends of Max," dad said in his pleasant/creepy voice. "Tell me, how are you all enjoying the Ranks of the Death Eaters?"

"It's so much fun!" squealed Nudge. "Alex and Lexus are AMAZING teachers! We learned that spell, you know, the summoning spell? The one where we go _Accio crème brulee_ and then–"

_Splat!_

"Did Nudge get hit with crème brulee?" asked Iggy.

"Shoot! It worked so well before…"

"Crème brulee is a very liquid sort of solid–it falls apart easily when in the air," I explained.

"Oh. Well, it works really well on everything else, though. Like my wand, for example." I stopped in mid bite. Everyone else paused and looked at Nudge too.

"What do you mean, it works on your wand?" asked dad.

"I can Accio my wand," she explained.

"Yeah, but you need a wand to Accio it…," said Bella as-a-matter-of-factly. Nudge's eyes widened.

"Really? Lexus told me to try and Accio my wand and so I did. Was I not supposed to?" She looked worried.

"No, there's nothing wrong with that," dad assured. "It's just that…" He trailed off.

"Hey, Nudge? Can I see your wand?"

"Sure!" She handed it over to me. I rolled it over in my hands; it was a nice wand. It had specks of earthy shimmery color all over it, as if it had a metallic core. I then placed the wand as far away from Nudge as I could possibly reach.

"Nudge? Can you reach your wand?" She frowned a bit, her brow creasing. Then she reached for her wand.

"Accio wand!" Nothing happened for a fraction of a moment. Then, as I thought nothing would happen, the wand flew across the table and landed in Nudges hand.

"Whoa! Did you see that?" asked Gazzy, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets.

"See what?" asked Iggy.

"She just made her wand come to her…without a wand!"

"Impressive," said dad, smiling mysteriously. I could have sworn I saw Zohra shudder.

"Can you do other wandless magic?" I asked her. She quirked her head at me.

"What's wandless magic?"

"Magic without a wand. Try to levitate this napkin without using your wand." I placed the cloth in front of her.

"Wingardium leviosa!" She concentrated with all her might but it didn't budge an inch. Not even a millimeter.

"Try something lighter," suggested Dylan. He gave her a tissue. She tried again and it moved about a centimeter. Probably because Adrian sneezed.

"How about another spell?" Tarlyn suggested. "Or maybe you can only use the Accio charm without a wand. It's common to only be able to do one spell without a wand and not be able to do any others when you're young."

"Try to transfigure something," said Selwyn. He gave her a stone. She tried with all her might but it stayed as stony as ever, no pun intended. "Try to Accio it."

"Accio stone!" It came flying to her. Then he brought out a quill.

"Don't use your wand and try to summon it."

"Accio quill!" She frowned. "Accio quill!" It stayed there, unmoving. "ACCIO QUILL!" It moved the slightest bit but didn't come close enough to her for her to grab it.

"Can I have that stone back?" Nudge gave it back and then he put it out of her reach again.

"Try to summon it, but without saying anything. Wordless magic." She reached for it and, surprisingly, it came.

"Wow, she's good," said Laurence.

"I think," began Selwyn, "I think, and this is only a guess, but I think she can't actually do any wandless magic."

"What?" asked Willy. "You just saw her summon her wand and that rock! How could you say that she can't do wandless magic?"

"She couldn't summon that quill. She couldn't do any other sort of spell without her wand. But she managed to get those things to come to her. And without her mouth, too. It took me a while too, but, you know, don't you Tarlyn?"

"Nudge can only attract metals," she finished for him. "She doesn't even need the summoning charm; she can already do it without words. She's like…a magnet." Laurence picked up the rock and tried to attach it to her arm. It fell. Nudge reached for it and it flew towards her.

"I think it'll only come to her when she wants it," said Zohra. "And it's a good thing too. Or else she'd be stuck to everything."

"Not everything," Nudge corrected. "Just metal stuff."

"Well, it was very impressive indeed, nonetheless," said dad. Half of them jumped, not remembering that he was even there. "But it's time to turn in. There's plenty of time to talk tomorrow." He rose and we copied him and went to our respective rooms.

* * *

"Why?" I spun around to see a little boy with black hair and black eyes. He was talking to a little girl with brown and blond hair and brown eyes. The girl just glared at the boy. She reminded me a little of Angel when she was trying to give us a steely look. Something she had learned from yours featherly.

"Because it's your fault!" she whined. "You said you loved her more than me!" She said, stomping her foot on the ground. She was pointing at another little girl with red hair and green eyes who didn't seem to be paying attention.

"No I didn't!" the little boy insisted.

"You kissed her! Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"I don't know."

"Because she has a prettier dress than me, right?"

"No. I didn't kiss her because of that."

"No! You…" The little kids changed. They grew taller and looked more like teenagers now. With a shock, I realized I was looking at me, Fang, and Lisa. "…fucked her because she's a Hell lot sexier than me, right?" My stony, cold glare was enough to make me freeze for a moment. It was…beyond scary.

"No…"

"Because she has a bigger bust than me, right? Because her ass is bigger than mine, right? Or maybe it's tighter. Because she can do you over better, right?" I was screaming at him.

"I did it because she made me!" he yelled at last. They all changed back into little kids again with their innocent little faces and great big eyes.

"Oh," she said. "Oh. Why didn't you just tell me that before?"

"Because you wouldn't let me!" he snapped. She brushed it off.

"I'm sorry. I just thought that she was more important to you. That's why."

"How could you ever think that? I love you. And only you."

The girl brightened up. "Really?"

"Really." She held her hand out to him, as if she were helping him up off the ground.

"Wanna be friends again?" The little boy smiled, actually smiled, at her.

"Okay." He took her hand and they walked off, leaving the little red haired girl behind. Then suddenly, the little girl with the blond and brown hair turned around and winked at me.

"Your turn!"

* * *

"_Your turn!"_ The childish little voice echoed in my head over and over again. _"Your turn!"_ What did she, I, mean, my turn? _"Because she made me!" _Why did he say that? _"Because you wouldn't let me!"_

"Hey, sis." My brother and one of my best friends in the entire world poked his head into my room. "Your father wishes to speak with you this morning after you come down. He asks you to please not be late. You have company over, remember?" I nodded, stifling a yawn.

"I'll be there, Travers. Relax." Grey wasn't there, which was weird. He used to never sleep in the dog bed, no matter how much we begged him to. But ever since Snowflake, Skye, and Blizzard, he had stayed with Winter to take care of the pups which, might I add, were incredibly cute. I donned my normal clothes, all ripped and torn quite a few times and colored on a lot. It was a very different from the nice neat and clean clothes I had to wear at school all the time. A good difference too. I did flips down the stairs. That was also a rarity. But I missed doing them and I wasn't allowed to in Hogwarts because of shifting staircases.

"Hey, dad. Where's everyone else?" He looked a bit guilty. "You didn't kill them all, did you?" I asked desperately, hysteria in my voice. He shook his head.

"ZOMG! They're sooooooooooooooooooooo cute!" squealed Nudge. In her hands was a squirming little Snowflake.

"I might have revealed the location of where your dogs are," he admitted. "I was telling Goyle to refill the dog's water bowls and your friends overheard and immediately started asking for the dogs."

"It's okay," I said dismissively. Grey and Winter, though thoroughly pissed, did not attack my friends. They knew better "C'mon, Grey n' Winter." They trailed after me. "You guys! Give back the pups!"

"But they're just so freaking _adorable_," cooed Zohra. She and Dave were crooning over a sleepy little Blizzard in her arms like two parents over their newborn baby.

"You better give them back to their parents," Tarlyn warned. "Or else they might think that you're attacking their pups and attack you."

"How would you know?" Tarlyn put her hands on her hips and gave them an 'are you seriously asking me this?' sort of look.

"Gee, I wonder. Maybe it's because I'm _part freaking wolf_? I mean, that's just a guess." Sarcasm dripped from every word like saliva from a rabid wolf.

"Calm down," Jaq whispered softly to her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders. He kissed her on the neck, almost like a vampire after his prey.

"Eew…" CaraLena cringed away from them.

"Like Matt's never kissed you before."

"Not like that, he hasn't."

"Oh yeah, I forget. You're not used to people kissing in a way that is legal for children under thirteen to watch." CaraLena blushed.

"Breakfast is served!" announced our butler. I pried the pups away from my friends and gave Snowflake and Blizzard back to a pair of relieved parents and we all filed in.

"Ooh, omelets," said Contessa just as Halo wrinkled her nose up in disgust and said, "There better not be liquor in that."

"Halo, I specifically got the house cleared of liquor for your arrival," dad assured her. "You won't encounter any of that stuff in this house."

"Good," said Orin. "You've never seen her when she's come within a ten foot radius of liquor. Sir."

"No formalities are required in this house if I'm not paying you," sad dad, smiling gently. Orin shuddered and Jay smirked.

"Hey, what's this?" asked a quiescent Adrian, pointing to a basket.

"Russian black bread."

"What's in it?" My siblings and I shared an uncertain glance. Yeah, we knew what was in it. But…

"Let's just say you don't want to know. But it tastes really good though." She tentatively reached a hand out and snatched a piece of it. She nibbled at a corner and then took a bite. She didn't seem to mind it.

"Hey, Tarlyn," said Selwyn. "We, Dave, Orin, Jay, your boyfriend, and I, were talking about Asian love dramas. Correct us if we're wrong, but they all go something like this, right?"

"First they're in love," said Jay. "And then they break up. And then they're in love. And then they break up. And then someone dies!" (Nigahiga reference. Does anyone know him and his YouTube videos?)

"Jeez, just 'cause I'm Asian doesn't mean I know this stuff," she said, scoffing."I don't watch these soap opera like things! They're all so, so, so boring!" Come to think of it, Tarlyn probably had no Asian blood in her at all. She just was given DNA in Asia and that didn't count as 'being Asian' in my standards.

"So," said my dad. "Max tells me that you all have amazing abilities. Would it be asking too much if I asked you all to show me them?"

"Not at all," Willy assured him. "When, though?"

"Right after breakfast." She nodded.

"What do you know about our abilities, though? Just curious," Willy added quickly. Dad smiled slightly.

"I was a Slytherin myself not too long ago. I remember how it was, all of us being shunned by the other houses because we were Slytherins. And why, why were we shunned? Because of our talents. All of you, because you are Slytherins, must have some sort of talent, something that make you stand out." Willy nodded in understanding.

"So, what was your talent, Mr. Ride?" asked Laurence.

"It's actually Mr. Riddle. And I have the talent of raw energy in my magic."

"Huh?"

"Dad has really strong magic abilities," I explained. "You can do one thing, but the way he does it is stronger."

"Ahh."

"So, let's start off with Angel. What can you do?"

"Well, I can fly…"

"Yes. But other than that."

"I can read minds. And do I really remind you of Max when she was little? I mean, I guess we both have blondish hair but my eyes are blue and hers are brown." Dad looked taken aback but recovered quickly.

"Impressive. I had my doubts at first but it seems like you really can. What about Gazzy? Is your real name Gazzy?"

"Nah. It's Zephyr. But I prefer Gazzy, short for the Gasman."

"Why is that so?"

"Because of this!" And he farted really, really, REALLY loud.

"Ugh, Gazzy! I don't need you stinking up the place!" complained Iggy, trying to fan the foul smell away from him. I could have sworn that underneath the stern look he was wearing, dad was smirking. He cast a quick charm and the stench disappeared.

"Air!" gasped Zohra. "Fresh air!"

"Is there anything else you can do?"

"Like mimicking?" asked Selwyn, who was looking really confused. "I didn't say anything, I swear!"

"Gazzy, stop it!" said Nudge sternly.

"Why? The kid wants to do it so let him!" said Jaq. It was so real, I almost believed it. But Jaq would never speak above a whisper unless in a crisis. Or if Tarlyn was hurt.

"Don't make me manipulate you," I said firmly to him.

"Fine."

"What about Nudge? What can you do?"

"Um…other than attracting metal, I can get under people's skin."

"Interesting. Show me."

"No!" yelled the rest of us at the same time.

"Hmm?"

"She can get really annoying at times and then someone will get pissed off and then they'll piss someone else off who will in turn piss someone else off until we're all really pissed off and in a bad mood," said CaraLena in one breath. Wow.

"How about Iggy?"

"Uh, not much, really. I'm blind. But I can sort of feel colors. And I'm a good cook and I can memorize things. And I've got, well, it's not really that great, but I can make just about anything explode."

"Come again?"

"Like, for example…" Iggy pulled out some paper clips, parchment, quills, some wire, and a bunch of other odds and ends. He stuck them together with a wad of gum and stuck some of the wire in his glass of water. A few seconds later, the thing, whatever it was, exploded and formed a little mushroom cloud on the table.

"Scorgify. Explosives. We could use you on our side. How about…Adrian?"

"I'm a seer," she mumbled meekly. "Mercury and Uranus aren't in the right place. Something will happen once they are in the right place, something that will change the tide of the war."

"Is that so?" murmured my father. "How about you, Selwyn? What can you do? Selwyn?" He looked around. His eyes landed on a guy with a rainbow afro, big yellow eyes, and translucent skin. "Who are you?" The guy smirked and changed back into good old Selwyn.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," Selwyn explained. "Cool, huh?"

"Yes, it is indeed very, uh, 'cool.' That is your sister, right? Tarlyn?"

"In a sense, yeah, She can–"

"See the invisible," Tarlyn finished for him. "It's hard to explain. The easiest way is just to say that I can see what no one else can see. I can also sort of 'see' the secrets in someone's mind. It's really weird."

"And then there is Jaq?"

"I can…become the invisible," Jaq whispered. He looked the part, half missing in the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows.

"Very, very good. And…Zohra?" She said nothing but glanced over at the cup of water. The liquid rose up, forming sort of an orb which sparkled. "Control of water, I see." She rolled her eyes. A moment later, snow from the roof slid off and some of it gathered on the window. It rose up and attached itself to the window, masking a big snowy smiley face. "All forms of water?" Zohra nodded. "What about Dave?"

"Um…I'm part dragon so…there's the flying part...and the fire-breathing part..."

"Fire breathing?" Dave snorted sharply and flames came from his nose.

"Doesn't that, like, singe off your nose hair or something?" asked CaraLena. "I mean, it's coming from your nose and all."

"Ugh, we don't want to know," said the twins in disgust. "And by the way, we can freak people out and connect minds so that we always know what the other on is thinking. CaraLena can–"

"I can alter images," said CaraLena. "Like so." She closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly, the air seemed warmer. Outside, flowers were blossoming and–

"Hey? What happened?" asked Angel.

"Sorry, not enough sleep," CaraLena admitted. "Where's Willy?"

"Bathroom," said Angel. "Laurence went to get some medicine for her. She's got her…you know…"

"Ah. She can read auras. And Laurence is sort of like a weaker version of Max. He can convince people with his mind but it's easier to break free."

"Nonetheless, very important," said dad, nodding appreciatively. "Did I miss anyone?"

"I can control earth," said Orin simply. "Jay can control air. And other than that, you got everyone. And you're pretty good at memorizing name, I've noticed. We've been here for less than twenty-four hours and you've got us all down. Like you would say, impressive."

* * *

"Halo! Contessa! Jaq!" I slid down the railing. "Hello? Jaq? Halo? Contessa?"

"You called for me?" I jumped a foot in the air. Jaq Gibbon was right behind me. One of these days…

"Yes, I did. If you want you can go see your little sister now."

"I see Halo and Contessa all the time," he whispered, looked mildly amused. "Why do you have to give me permission to see them now?"

"I meant Effie."

"Ah." His half smile faded. "I'll go get the twins." He returned a minute later with Halo and Contessa.

"We get to see our litter sister now?" asked the two of them eagerly.

"I've found where they're keeping her and you're allowed to roam the mansion at will. So why not?" I lead them down into the dark, dank dungeon. Right before we got to Effie formerly Gibbon's cell, I stopped.

"What is it, Max?" asked Jaq.

"None of you ate before this, right?"

"Right!" said the twins. "Why?"

"Because this isn't something you should see on a full stomach. Brace yourselves." And I let them walk in front of me.

"Oh my god," whispered Contessa. Halo was too stunned to speak. Even stony faced Jaq lost his composure.

"This…this is what happened to her?" he whispered hoarsely at last. "This is what happened to our little sister?" I nodded grimly. I knew what they were looking at, what they were really seeing.

They were looking at the mauled and disfigured form of werewolf Effie.

**CLIFTHANGER! (dun dun dun!) This is probably the fastest I've ever posted up a chapter; given how much homework I've had this week. Think of this as a Halloween treat, no pun intended. I'm tired now. (yawn) Oh, did I mention that my English class might get really mad at me tomorrow? We have to bring in a poem to share twice a year on Friday and tomorrow is my turn. I'm reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven to them I sure hope they don't fall asleep before I finish. ;) **


	11. I Run with the Wolves

**As Nudge would say, "ZOMG!" I have a really bad cold/fever/bug. So, I'll be writing while I patiently wait for it to go away. (What patience?) Shut up, conscious.**

**I'd also like to publicly-ish thank Hannah Brandon 1234321 for just making my day. Why? Because she's just awesome like that and she gave me an idea to put in here. You can thank her too for making me update faster. And because I thanked her, I'll also have to thank Cara and Zoe. Hi! (Sorry if you got two updates. I forgot to edit the first one.)  
**

"Effie." Contessa's mouth formed the word that Halo could not speak. I couldn't blame her. Halo had never been very strong and the sight of this made even my knees feel weak.

Effie, with her bright Contessa-red hair and green-as-grass eyes looked…disfigured was an understatement. Half the skin on her face had been torn off; gashing flesh wounds were all around it and you could see parts of her skull underneath. It looked like one of her eyes was grotesquely torn out. Her hair was unevenly cut, one of her arms looked mangled and half-eaten, her legs were covered in strange rashes, she was bleeding all over, and all of that was covered in a light coating of russet red fur that would soon become thicker with the full moon now approaching quickly.

"Halo!" screamed Contessa as her twin sister fell to the floor. Halo's breaths were shallow and ragged and her face had gained a greenish tint to it. Moments later, she threw up.

"I thought you said you didn't eat anything before," I said irritably.

"She didn't," murmured Contessa. "Not since breakfast."

"Effie," Jaq murmured. He walked towards her and tentatively reached his hands through the bars. She whimpered and edged away from him. "It's me, Effie. Jaq."

"You're a Slytherin now," she whimpered. "You're evil and malicious and dangerous. Our Prefect said so!"

"Not all of us are evil, Effie."

"Then…then why did the big scary man come and hurt me? He came with all these wolves and they attacked me and dragged me here! They…they said it was because I was not a Slytherin and that I would pay!" She burst into tears.

"Max…"

"I have no knowledge of this," I said quietly. "There are two sides to everything, Jaq. There's the good, genuine side of us with people who will smile and help and the side that makes you do hurtful things to others. I don't know who did this."

"They hurt my little sister."

"Then do something about it."

"What can I do?" he asked, sounding helpless. "I'm just a quiet Fifth year boy and they…they're the strongest magical force known to us. But if…if I find out who did this…I'll kill them."

I just hoped that it was someone like Goyle who had hurt Effie like this because sometimes, you've just got to take out all the bad and useless parts of your army.

* * *

"Halo? Contessa?" Jay shook his girlfriend by her shoulders. "Say something, Tess."

"Something…"

"Yes?"

"You told me to say something," she said, quickly regaining her composure. She smiled weakly but it didn't quiet reach her eyes.

"Tess, what happened? Your brother comes to get you for 'something important' and then the three of you come back, your brother all somber, your sister looking like she's just seen another werewolf attack, and you being all…not Contessa-y," he finished lamely. She flinched when he said 'werewolf attack.'

"I'm fine, really," she insisted. "Let's just get down to dinner."

"Tess–"

"Really; we don't want to keep them waiting." She pecked him lightly on the cheek and walked off with her sister, leaving no room for argument. Jay turned to Orin with a 'who-knows?' expression.

"Something happened," said Orin at last.

"No shit, Sherlock." Orin slapped his friend over the head.

"I wasn't looking for an answer."

"Too bad." They were quiet for a few moments. "Hey. Wanna go ask the little mind reader?"

"You mean Angel?"

"Yes, her."

"Let's go." I quietly followed them, fluttering silently from beam to beam of the house. This mansion was built just for me; high ceilings and many beams for me to fly through and land on. I stalked them, feeling very much like a ninja. At some point, I got carried away and started making unnecessary noises when I flew from beam to beam. I stopped after the guys started looking up.

"You wanted to see Angel?" Jay and Orin jumped about a foot in the air. Even the hairs on the back of my neck started to prick.

"Damn it, Jaq! Can't you make some noise when you move? You know, like a normal person?"

"This place is already dark enough as it is; I can barely move around without being ambushed by a shadow. Besides, you never hear Tarlyn complain about it," he said, sounding amused.

"That's because that girl can see ghosts and the like!" complained Orin.

"'That girl' is my girlfriend," he whispered dangerously.

"My bad! My bad! Can you just show us where the little mind reading freak is?"

"She's right behind you," said the young girly voice.

"Damn it! Oh, sorry." At this rate, that girl was going to spit out a full scale of cusses by the time she was a First year. Enroll her in Beauxbatons for a few years before she started at Hogwarts and she'd be saying them in French as well.

"It's all right. And I was simply testing out my ninja skills. Oh, and Halo and Contessa are…" She paused for a moment. "Oh, that's private. They won't appreciate me telling you." The guys groaned. "Or I can tell you and then they'll break up with you. They're serious," she added before either of them could say another word.

"Fine," said Orin, admitting defeat. "We're going to go have dinner now." They slumped off and Jaq disappeared into what light was still shining through the windows, leaving me and Angel alone. I edged silently back the way I came.

"Hello, Max." She was still staring straight ahead. I froze. "I just caught onto your thoughts here, that's all. You're pretty good at going ninja. If I hadn't been able to read minds, I'd have never had the slightest inkling of thought that you were here. I mean, other than the fact that Orin and Jay were thinking about those funny ninja noises they heard coming down the halls."

"But if you hadn't been a mind reader, then you wouldn't have known that they were thinking about my ninja noises," I reasoned. She smiled.

"True. And I think I might consider going to Beauxbatons. I mean, I can start next year and Gazzy's probably enough to join the people in his year next year."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't see you as much. Wouldn't you miss your family?" Angel looked sort of sad.

"Fang has become so distant and it's hurting all of us, especially Nudge and Iggy because they've known him the longest. They're really concerned about him; I can read it in their thoughts. But they keep putting on these brave faces to protect me and Gazzy and I love them for that but…I just think it'd be better if they could just let down their guard for a while and…just let them relax," she admitted. I could tell that she had given this a lot of thought.

"You're a pretty selfless girl, Angel," I said. She beamed slightly at my compliment but still looked kind of sad. "Oh, come on, Angel," I said, hugging her. "Iggy and Nudge are old enough to decide what's best. And besides, they're your brother and sister; they care about you."

"I know," she murmured. "But I'm such a burden."

"How could anyone think that you're a burden?"

"Dad."

"Huh?"

"I never told anyone this before," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek, "but I've tapped into dad's mind before. He doesn't know that I can read minds and he doesn't know about Gazzy's ability to throw voices or about Nudges ability to get under skins; he doesn't know anything about any of us. He thinks we're all a waste of space. A disgrace to his name."

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry." I hugged her tighter. I used to think that I had it rough, training to kill and being the best at everything. Being schooled all alone, every single day of the week. Forcing myself to not show any expression when I killed someone. But at least I had a dad who cared about me enough to train me and educate me.

"You're life _is_ harder than mine," murmured Angel. "I never had to kill anyone. And my dad did love us. For a while at least." She wiped away her tears. I smiled at her.

"You're really strong, you know that?" She gave me a watery smile.

"Yeah, I know. That's what mutants are for."

* * *

"Effie, who did this to you?" Tarlyn's bold, clear voice rang though the quiet dungeon, making some of the other prisoners flinch. Some of us came down here to investigate and to see old friends. Others, like Orin and Jay, were upstairs, not knowing. Nudge and Shawna were crying with each other, separated by bars. The rest of the prisoners down here, all of them former classmates of ours, looked either half-dead and uninterested or gaunt and scared.

"I…don't know." Tarlyn locked eyes with her for a fraction of a moment and took a big whiff of the air around her, wrinkling her nose a bit at the pungent smell.

"I see. Alright."

"Tarlyn?"

"Not now." Zohra looked at her, concerned, but said nothing.

"Will you look at that?" one of the newly turned werewolves said to his friend. "A free wolf."

"She's not one of us," muttered his friend. "She's not a werewolf. She doesn't belong." Tarlyn flinched.

"Max, why are they all here/?" asked little Angel.

"Because they're not Slytherins. We need more power."

"Oh. Okay." For such a young girl, she seemed to really grasp the concept of why these people had to be contaminated with wolf genes. The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I was. This was just like how they made Erasers. They took a person and injected wolf DNA into them. To make werewolves, you infected their bloodstream with the saliva of a werewolf. This was no different.

"Max?"

"Yes, Gazzy?"

"Why does your dad do this?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, he's amazing and I admire him and all, but why does he have to do this? I mean, Effie's about Nudge's age and I wouldn't want to see Nudge like that."

"He knows where his priorities lie and he knows that he must do things to get what he need," I said firmly. Gazzy just looked at the people in awe.

"When I grow up, I want to be just like him." The idea of innocent little Gazzy turning into a murderer like my father or I seemed utterly preposterous. But then again, dad must have been an innocent little kid sometime in his life. It was just…the idea of Gazzy becoming heartless and vicious. Killing his parents. Raising his only child to be a murderer too. Then wiping out an entire population…

"Max? If Willow-Brook–"

"Willy," said everyone.

"If _Willy_ was here, she'd say your aura was black," finished Angel. I looked at her for a moment. I was the one and only glorious daughter of Voldemort and even I wasn't taking this too well. Great.

"That's enough. We should go back upstairs before anyone notices we're gone," I announced. I quickly ascended up and they followed, Nudge a little more reluctantly than the others.

"Who would do such a thing?" murmured CaraLena. "It's just so…unorthodox."

"You don't even know what orthodox means, cat-girl," mutter Zohra.

"I'm a tiger!"

"It was Fennir." I turned around and faced Tarlyn.

"What?"

"I didn't realized it at first, but the scent I smelled on her…reminded me of something. I could smell him in her blood. You said that you wished that you could tell him that he didn't have to bite. He…he's the one who bit Effie. And…the other wolves attacked her because they smelled blood." I was horrified. It was my fault that Effie was in that state. Jaq apparently thought so too.

"It's all your fault!" Jaq practically snarled. He clawed at my face. I swung my head to one side quickly. And then the other. He lunged for me again. And again. And again. He missed me most of the time. Sometimes, he just grazed me. But then I lost my balance. He lunged for me and I didn't notice until it was too late and there was no where I could move. I turned my back to him, hoping that it wouldn't hurt as much. He was coming closer and then…

SMACK

"Huh?" I peeked out from underneath my arm. Jaq was no longer there. His back was on the floor and he was breathing heavily but wasn't fighting anymore. Rather, he seemed in shock. Blood covered him but he was completely unharmed. Physically at least.

It was Tarlyn.

She had crashed into him only moment before he was about to hit me. In a blind rage, Jaq struck out at her, leaving a good thirty-five centimeter cut on her back. Blood seeped out in the most grueling manner. And she hadn't reacted.

"Tarlyn?" whispered CaraLena. "Tarles?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, getting off of him.

"There are millions, no, _billions_ of lies told each day," said Angel softly. The most common one is 'I'm fine.'"

"Really, Angel, I'm fine." She stood and looked at all of us. And then she ran.

"Tarlyn!" yelled her brother. He was fast, like an antelope, running from its predator. But she was faster, like a wolf... They rounded a corner and disappeared. A minute later, Selwyn came back, minus his sister.

"She's gone."

"What?" Nudge's eyes bulged.

"I can't find her. She ran into a dark corridor and by the time I got to the other end, she wasn't there. She…left this." He handed me a note. I unfolded it quickly.

'I'm sorry. But I have to go. It was a mistake. They were right. I don't belong. To anyplace or anyone. There's no place in the world for a wolf child. Not in Itex, nor in the wizarding world, and definitely not in the mortal world. Good bye.' Her name was scrawled at the bottom.

"_You think normal non-mutated people will discriminate the likes of you? Well what about me? If it ever leaks out that I'm part wolf, I'll never fit in! Not with the humans, not with the mutants; heck, even the Erasers don't like me! They think I'm a softy! And you're in a panic about if you're ever discovered? Please."_

"No…" Jaq…poor Jaq…

"What is it, Max?" asked Dave. "What…?"

"She's gone."

"What?"

"Tarlyn. She's gone."

* * *

"We seem to be missing someone," my father commented that night at dinner. No one said anything. Willy and Laurence were confused about why Tarlyn was missing. Jay and Orin were too concerned about their girlfriend's welfare to pay attention. Iggy knew nothing. And my siblings were making half hearted attempts to start a conversation, bless them.

"More potatoes, Max?" asked Bella.

"Why yes, please." I held out my plate and she plopped down an appetizing lump of mush.

"How about gravy?"

"I think I'll pass. But could you please pass the butter?"

"Of course."

"Oh, Sev, could you pass the pepper over here, please?"

"Yes. Here you are, Cissy. Salt?"

"Yes please.

"Here you go."

"Thank you. I heard you were very interested in something this morning. What was it?"

"Oh, not much. I just discovered how to make a difficult potion in less time and with a higher success rate. I think it'll help us greatly. The Polyjuice potion. You know that one, don't you?"

"Yes, of course. Very nice, very powerful."

"I've managed to reduce its creation time to a week."

"Really? That's amazing! Tell me about it."

"Yes, of course, Luce. It's–"

"Alright, that's enough," interrupted my father, making a few of us jump. "Something's going on. Now, would anyone care to tell me what it is?" Everyone fell silent. "Max?"

"Dad…it was Tarlyn. She had…a minor freak out. It had something to do with all the mutations that were done to her." It was true. It wasn't like I lied or anything.

"Ah. I see. I guess I will never understand you genetic abnormalities. Nonetheless, how was your day today?" One good glare from all of us made him stop asking questions.

* * *

Hogwarts had lost its charm after being home for two weeks. Everything seemed as…un-homey…as ever. But I managed. That made at least one of us.

"I don't know how long I'll have to live without crème brulee," Nudge had exclaimed, trudging through the halls brain dead. I snickered.

"Relax. I'm sure you'll get your perk back soon."

"Easy for you to say. You can get your crème brulee once you go back for Easter break. I, on the other hand, won't get it back for who knows how long?"

"Oh, if dad lets me, I'll invite all of you back for Easter." She smiled and I walked away from her, towards the direction of my class, still waving to her, when I crashed into someone.

"I hear my siblings have disappeared with you over break," said Fang coolly. I nearly sneered at him but then thought better of it.

"Why would it matter to you?" I asked. "Don't have any friends?"

"My father was worried about them," he replied, ignoring that last jibe. "He hasn't met your father yet and would like to soon."

"My dad isn't much of a people-person," I responded. "I have to get to class so if you will excuse me…"

"Forget it," he said, still following me. "We have the same class, douche."

"Were you referring to yourself or your brain?" He glared at me and I smirked. Care of Magical Creatures. Other than potions, it was one of my favorite classes by far. I'd love it even more if a dragon ripped off Fang's head. But then again, the closest thing we have to a dragon year-round is Dave and I had a feeling that he wouldn't be in my class today.

"Dress warm!" Professor Kettleburn said joyously. "We'll be going outside today!"

"Damn it, it's cold."

"Language!" chirped the twins all too eagerly.

"Well eff you."

"Language!"

"What do you think we're going to see today?" asked Bella eagerly.

"Something with a sense of humor, I hope," muttered Lily.

"What happened to you?" teased Luce. Lily glared at him and his smile faltered.

"She's your girlfriend. Control her!" she snapped, stomping off to join the other Griffindors. Ah, dear old Cissy. Luce groaned.

"Like Lily said, I sure hope we're dealing with something that has a sense of humor." Dylan chuckled. Obviously, what we were dealing with was not an animal with a sense of humor.

Vanity? Yes. Humor? No.

"Unicorns?" sneered Sev. "We're working with unicorns?"

"Don't sneer," said our professor firmly. "They are amazing creatures; nearly immortal. And do you know why? Halo?"

"One drink of unicorn blood is enough to let you live, no matter how bad your condition. You could be on the brink of dying, but unicorn blood could save you."

"Ah, yes, Halo. Take ten points for Slytherin. But there is a cost to Unicorn blood. Anyone? Yes, Bella."

"Five Galleons per ounce."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she said, waving her finger at Bella in a teasing manner.

"Fine. The unicorn blood, once it torches your lips, will make you live a half life, a sinned life."

"Correct. But why?"

"Because…it is great evil to kill something so innocent." Bella sounded remorseful and I might have believed that she sounded genuinely affected by this had she not been my sister and had her talent not been a form of convincing. Actually, I had a feeling that Bella might kill a unicorn someday just to sustain her life. But then again, I'm no Adrian.

"Yes. Now, I want all the girls to come over here, just by this unicorn. For whatever reason, unicorns prefer maidens. So, gather 'round girls." Bella, Halo, Contessa, and I went over to the unicorn while Sev and Luce were mumbling something about being sexist.

"So pretty," crooned one of the Griffindor girls. She had obnoxiously pink hair which, for whatever reason, really bugged me. Maybe because it's pink and I hate pink. I don't know. Just an errant thought. The girl moved closer and closer to the unicorn until finally, the unicorn got unicorn claustrophobia and in need of some unicorn space. I mean, why else would it rear back onto its unicorn-y hind legs and run so unicorn-y-like away?

"AHHHH!" Ashley screamed as the unicorn sailed over her head and ran, neighing madly, into the forest.

"Oh dear," murmured Professor Kettleburn. "I had better inform Professor Dumbledore that there's a mad animal on the loose. Come on, Ashley." She pulled away the frightened girl, leaving the rest of us there, curious and freezing our not-so-unicorn-y butts off.

"Ha. She's such a sexist teacher," announced James Potter. "I could probably calm down that beast, no problem."

"Don't," said Lily quickly.

"Why? Worried I'll get hurt?" he asked her, moving closer. She moved far, far away from him in disgust.

"Yes. You might cut yourself and then the unicorn will start attacking you and then it'll be all bloody and red and that would just look weird." A chorus of 'ooh's came from all around and Lily looked at him smugly.

"You say that now," he said, scoffing, "but just wait till I get back." Lily yawned, unconcerned.

"Sure. I might want to go to the library and borrow a book first. Maybe a collection of Shakespeare. It's going to be a long time." Scowling, James went into the forest.

"Shouldn't someone stop him?" asked Bella. I shrugged.

"I won't. If it's going to take a rabid unicorn to make James lose his arrogance, then let there be rabid unicorns roam this world."

"Unicorns can get rabies?"

"I figured any living animal can get rabies."

"You also figured that Dave has no nose hairs because dragons don't have any. And he does have nose hairs. So I don't think I'll take your word for it."

"You actually looked up Dave's nose? Ew…"

"Hey, I think something's coming out of the forest!" said a Slytherin boy. We anxiously waited for whatever it was that came out. It was James. Being chased by an angry unicorn. And because my animal care skills kicked in, I just had to chase after it.

"Max! No!" screamed Dylan. The look on his face was one of pure terror and reminded me of Jaq when he lost…never mind. Nonetheless, I ran after that horse. Good thing for mutant strength. The unicorn was running around a clearing oh-so-unicorn-y, not knowing where to go. (A/N. Did you know that on Runescape, if you're not on a mission or a member, you don't get anything but bones when you kill a unicorn? Yeah, I was disappointed too, seeing how many life points I lost.)

"Here!" The unicorn saw me and charged at me, looking more like a bull after a red flag. I have nothing against bulls, just saying. I mean, I'd be a little mad too if some guy in a frilly outfit was waving some flag in front of me with an arrogant look on his face.

I won't go into specifics of how I did it (look in page 41 of your Care of Magical Creatures textbook if you please) but either way, by the time they found me, I was quietly petting the unicorn.

"I can't believe what you did!" screeched Professor Kettleburn, spooking the unicorn a bit. They're very much like horses, you know. "I come back from bringing a traumatized Ashley to the hospital wing and I find James half beaten and you gone! I defiantly don't get paid enough for this." I smiled guiltily. "But, at least you didn't freak out the unicorn." Freak out the unicorn? That was Ashley and James. Me? I–

"I don't want to hear it," she said firmly. I hadn't noticed that I was speaking out loud. I scowled at her. I guess there are some bad things about being this amazing.

* * *

"Care of Magical Creatures was really fun today, Jaq," said the twins. "You should have seen Max and how she handled the unicorn. We thought it'd kill her for sure!"

"Tarlyn used to do that," he whispered. "She loved it when we were dealing with wolves." Halo and Contessa shied away from him.

"He really misses her, doesn't he?" murmured Dylan. "I won't be the first to admit that it does feel strange not having her around."

"It's a weird feeling, I know," said Selwyn. Out of all of us, he seemed the least concerned. "But Tarles' a free spirit. She comes and goes as she pleases."

"You of all people should be worried about her," hissed Jaq. His eyes were bloodshot, making it seem as if his eyes were red instead of pale blue, giving me an impression of a true albino. Selwyn shrugged.

"I know her. She's like a bird. You can't trap her and expect her to be happy. She's happiest when she can run free with no one to stop her. And she's as vain as a bird. She needs attention. That's why she keeps doing things to stand out. She argues with Willy because she can get away with it. You remember, don't you? You make a single remark about her not fitting in with the rest and it's bye-bye birdie. No pun intended." Jaq scowled at him. "What? I'm telling the truth!"

The pale boy sighed. "I know. But that's what hurts the most. Knowing…that I wasn't enough to keep her here." Selwyn, in his all of his rainbow glory (he's a Metamorphmagus, as I've told you before) snorted. Jaq looked at him in surprise.

"Ha. Friends, you said you were once. Remember? 'We're just friends!' Besides, I'm her brother who she's known pretty much all her life and I've never been able to bind her to one place for long."

"Wow, it's taken this long for you know realize that they were more than friends?" asked Zohra, whipping him over the head. "You're slow." She seemed a bit sad in her friend's disappearance but just like CaraLena, it was almost as if she was expecting this.

"Besides, it's just Tarlyn," said CaraLena. "She'll be back before you know it." For Jaq's sake, I sure hoped that tiger-girl was right.

* * *

"Charisma, stop! Stop it! We're going to tell Max!"

"Wha?" I muttered groggily. Charisma, as usual, was annoying my friends because she wouldn't annoy me. Oh how I loved that raven. But there was something wrong with her movements. It wasn't that she was hurt or anything like that; I could tell. It just seemed that she was more desperate. Every moment seemed to hurt Halo and Contessa and there was some urgency about it. "C'mon, Charlie." She fluttered onto my bed and hopped around, making it even harder than usual to untie the parchment.

'I'm not coming back. Tell them that. I'm sorry.'

"Hey, whatcha got, Max?" asked Bella, rubbing her eyes. "Max?" I shakily handed her over the letter and she began reading out loud.

"'I'm not coming back. Tell them that. I'm sorry. There are so many things I could put on here. But I won't. I'll just tell you that I've found my place in this world, the place where I belong. As far as I know, I'm staying here. Maybe even for good. It's safer for me here where there's not a single person who is completely human. And they accept me for who I am. No more Erasers. No more werewolf business. It's my safe haven. Tell you what. If in two years, if I've finished my education and finish what I've started, I'll come back. I'll come back to see all of you. And maybe I'll be ready then. But I'm not ready now. So when the time comes, I'll be here. Goodbye. I love you all. Tara Lynn' Who's she? Tara Lynn?"

"Tarlyn," whispered Halo and Contessa. "Oh no."

"Looks like she's gone for good this time, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," murmured Bella. "I wonder where she went."

"It was probably better for her there." I spun around to see CaraLena and Zohra.

"When and how did you get in here?" screeched Bella while they shushed her.

"CaraLena's awesome ability, of course," said Zohra. "So she's gone this time. Oh well." She shrugged.

"We knew it was going to happen," admitted CaraLena. "We just didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"Maybe its better this way," Zohra murmured.

"How is it better?" I asked in shock. Zohra shrugged.

"I don't know. Wanna go ask Adrian?"

"Don't tell me," muttered Bella. CaraLena laughed.

"She's not here. I love her but she'd probably freak out at the idea of spying on people."

"So," said Zohra, "I sure don't want to tell him that his girlfriend's gone for good. Anyone else?"

* * *

Weeks passed. Things changed. We laughed more and bonded more. Jaq finally started to heal. And the best part?

"You know what happens when all the ice and snow melts?" asked Zohra cheerfully.

"It turns to water?" suggested Dave who was used to her obsession over her talent.

"No!"

"What?"

"It turns to spring!" she squealed. "Beautiful spring! And spring is my favorite season!" (Fruits Basket moment. All who get it can smirk to themselves.)

Zohra was right. Spring was beautiful. And it came early this year. The week before Valentine's Day, all the snow and ice had melted, leaving little rivers all over school grounds. Some flowers had also bloomed early, making the place all happy and pink and powdery. Disgusting. Why? First of all, I hate pink. It's just so…so…ew. And second of all…

"Achoo!"

"Ugh. Just how many things are you allergic to?" asked Bella in disgust.

"A lot," muttered Halo nasally. Yup. Spring fever had come back. Along with spring cold, spring flu, and spring allergies all in this nice little bundle especially made for Halo who was suffering immensely.

"They don't have any more tissues," announced Cissy irritably. "Aren't you proud? You cleared them out."

"Take a hot bath or something!" complained Contessa. "Find the password for the prefect's bathroom or something!"

"Don't know any prefects," muttered her sister.

"This is just pitiful, Halo!" snapped the fiery red-head. "My mental wave won't connect when you're sick!"

"Don't remind me," she grumbled.

"One of the Kings or Queens must know something," announced her sister and then brightened. "I bet Tarlyn and Selwyn know!"

"Tarlyn's gone," murmured Jaq. Contessa faltered some.

"Then is Selwyn still King?" Jaq nodded. "Who Queen?"

"Zohra and CaraLena are both vying for the spot."

"Oh. I'm going to find him now," she said at last. She scurried off. The room was now quiet.

"Dad wants to give you all a mission."

"Oh really?" asked Sev, who, like most of us, was drowning in Halo's tissues. "Tell us."

"He wants certain plants from Professor Sprout's greenhouse. Certain herbs that are he'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The plants are vital but their prices are sky high. Think you can do that?"

"Sounds like fun," said Angel thoughtfully. "I'll come. I could read the minds of the people who were coming."

"I'm in," said Dylan, smiling in the way that just made my heart melt.

"Same," said Jaq softly. _He wants to make a difference. One that he couldn't make to save Effie._ Angel sent as a thought to me.

"I think it's safe to say that we're all in," said Iggy. "So how about we just divvy up the jobs?"

"Okay. Here's a list of all the plants we need collected. Dylan, you're a self healer so you can get the more dangerous ones."

"Lovely," he said drily.

"I'm not too thrilled about putting you in that position either," I admitted. "But someone's got to do it and you'll suffer the least," I said, pecking him on the cheek. "Now, Angel's on lookout. Iggy, you're collecting all the delicate ones."

"Why me?"

"Because only you have a soft enough touch."

"Couldn't Nudge do it or something?"

"No! I'd probably tear everything apart!"

"Exactly. So you're doing it, Iggy. Nudge, you, CaraLena, and Gazzy are getting all the plants in the northwest greenhouse. When Contessa comes back, someone can tell her that she, Selwyn, and Zohra are raiding the northeast one. Adrian, Halo, Jaq, and Luce, you guys are getting the southwest one. All the plants there are harmless unless you decide to strangle yourself with a vine or whatnot so you can relax, Adrian. Angel, Sev, Willy, and Laurence can get the southeast one. Orin, Jay, Bella, Cissy, and I are getting all the plants in the main one. Got that?" Everyone nodded. "So, next week, midnight, we go. CaraLena, you're going to alter the image to make it look like no one's there. Angel, you can read minds so you can take your group. Adrian, you can see the future. Use that to your advantage. Jaq, blend into the moonlight. Dylan, you're taking Iggy because you can see really far. I'm manipulating anyone who see's us."

"So all we have to do is go and get plants, return alive, and then your dad will think we're Death Eater material?" asked Orin. "Awesome."

"Not quite," said Bella, forcing a tight smile. "You'll have to go on many various missions, few as safe as this one. I've gone on about five majors and ten or so minors."

"And this is a…?"

"Minor."

"Aw man." He slumped back in his seat. "That sucks."

"You'll get bigger missions soon," I said irritably.

"What's your record?" he asked. I smirked.

"One priority, seventeen majors, and hundreds of minors."

"That's just because you're his daughter!"

"So? I still got through all of them." Jay snorted.

"You probably manipulated people to do your missions for you."

"I did not!" I exclaimed, whacking his arm. Dylan laughed. "And besides, you just have to complete the mission. He never says you have to do it a certain way.

"So…whose mission is this?" asked Nudge. "I mean, there's so many of us but if you manipulated them, doesn't that mean that it's all of yours mission because everyone helped?"

"It's our entire mission. It only counts as a solo mission if the people working for you don't know it's a mission."

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense," she said thoughtfully.

"So, next week. Mission. You have to learn how to remove the plant without harming it, what kind of plant you're dealing with in the first place, and how to care for it until Easter break when we're all going back to the mansion." Everyone was nodding thoughtfully until Luce decided to speak his brilliant mind.

"Wait. Does this mean that you're giving us homework?" he yelped. Everyone then started complaining.

"Homework? I already have so much homework!"

"This is insane!"

"Homework? That's just preposterous!"

I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. Note to self: tell everyone there's going to be homework before they agree to the mission.

**Finally…finished…**

**Guess this was more of a filler chapter. Oh well. Hey, do you guys want Max to get back with Fang or do you want her to stay with Dylan? And do you want CaraLena or Zohra to be Queen? Just curious. And after this story is finished, I'm probably making a sequel for Max's Fifth year.**


	12. A Black Rose for a Black Heart

**My little cousin gave me these oh-so-cute little paper-cutouts of animals and flowers the other day and I've been obsessing over using them to decorate everything recently. That's my excuse for not updating. What's yours?**

What can I say? At least they did their homework. But I had forgotten about how terrible their stealth skills were.

"Get your freaking elbow out of my stomach," Orin hissed to Jay.

"Get your freaking stomach out of my elbow," groaned Orin. I sighed pitifully.

"It'll be a miracle if we can make it there and back without getting caught," I muttered. Dylan stoked my hair soothingly.

"Think of it this way. It's the day before Valentine's day. Just smile. It's going to be so much fun tomorrow." I smiled to myself against my will. Dylan could always make me smile, no matter what. It was just another thing I loved about him.

"Aw, you two are just so cute!" Nudge squealed quietly. I threw her a questioning look. "Angel told me."

"Again with the mental stuff, Angel?" I asked with a sigh. She shrugged, unashamed.

"It's an awesome skill," she said simply. "There's not a single living creature within twenty feet of us. Unless you count the ivy growing on the walls. Let's go." We slid near-silently across the dark corridor, Jaq preferring the pale moonlight that shone through the windows. Come to think of it, he was probably already at the greenhouses, gathering whatever he was supposed to gather. With this many people, I tend to forget.

"Hey, who's getting the Mimbulus Mimbletonia again?" asked Luce. "Because I'm sure not getting it."

"Poke it a few times," Bella retorted. "See what happens."

"I just so happen to have picked up a few things from Sev," Luce retorted shrewdly. "And I don't feel like being covered in pus that smells like, ah, _rancid manure_."

"Not in front of the children!" gasped Cissy.

"And you're how old, Narcissa? Thirteen? Fourteen perhaps?"

"Shut up, Selwyn."

"He holds a valid point," the twins said pleasantly. "We're all still children ourselves, you know."

"I didn't ask you!" hissed my little sister. "Besides, Angel's only six."

"And you're only thirteen," said Willy, smirking. A pair of straight, white teeth grinned but a body was yet to be seen. Suddenly, a hand whipped out and smacked the mouth.

"Good Merlin, stop moving around so much!" hissed CaraLena. "If you think it's so easy to hide this many people then you can give it a go!"

"Don't make me drench you in water," snarled Zohra.

"What do you mean, I'm only thirteen?" Cissy growled at Willy.

"Laurence and I are legal adults now," Willy said primly. Laurence's head nodded rapidly until CaraLena's hand whacked his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"I think you know, my friend," his little cousin snapped back.

"Humph."

"We're here," I whispered, slinking into the dark, moonlit, glass room. "Everyone knows what they're doing, right? Okay. Works of advice. Do NOT attempt to explode a Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Do NOT kick a Snargaluff just to see what will happen to your face. Do NOT …hey, where did they all go?"

"Away from you."

"Oh, hi Jaq. Finished yet?" He nodded. "Great. Want to go help everyone else or something?" He shrugged. I sighed and went to work gathering my portion. It wasn't a whole lot. Bubotuber…bubotuber pus…more bubotuber…gillyweed…dirigible plum…yum…

"Done!"

"Done!"

"Done!"

"Dun dun dun! Quick! Que the dramatic music!" said Selwyn. We all laughed.

"Ooh, I'd love a dun horse," murmured Cissy.

"I'd love a dun centaur, if you ask me," said her sister with a wink. The twins scoffed at her but otherwise said nothing.

"Hey, we better go to sleep," whispered Nudge, who was leading a sleepy Angel and a blind Iggy into the main greenhouse. "It's Valentine's day tomorrow." I smiled to myself when I saw the eagerness in her eyes. There was nothing quite like getting a Valentine from your secret admirer when you're a little kid.

"Okay. Let's go. Angel, you lead the way." The little girl tiredly rubbed her eyes and led us back up. We all crawled into bed and blissfully went to sleep. Well, at least we all went to sleep. Blissfully? Um…

* * *

"It's Valentine's day tomorrow," said a soft and familiar voice. Even though I couldn't see her face, I knew who it was. The long wolf tail, the fuzzy black wings, the flowing black locks, the soft, silent barefooted steps on the forest floor; Tarlyn. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the shadows retracted, revealing her innocent, smiling face.

"Why did you leave Jaq?" I blurted.

"Oh, reasons." She laughed like she thought it funny. "But we're not talking about me. We're here to talk about my dear brother."

"Selwyn?"

"Fang."

"You came all the way here to talk to me about your lying, cheating, man-whore of a brother?" I nearly shrieked. She was the reason why her freaking boyfriend had nearly killed himself and she was here to talk about my ex? This girl seriously needed to get her priorities in order.

"Max, you can only get what you deserve, you know that. You're Voldemort's daughter, after all." I slumped down, irritated. Remember what I said about her priorities?

"Tarlyn, you've gone through all this just to contact me. I'm honored; really, I am. But, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not ready to talk about Fang yet. So. Let's talk about you. Where are you?"

"Not where you are."

"I kind of figured as much."

"I can't give you any more information than that; sorry."

"Why did you leave?"

"Didn't I already tell you? I didn't belong."

"Jaq…"

"He's suffering, I know. But they'll keep him alive. I know it."

"Who?"

"CaraLena and Zohra, obviously."

"Hmm. What's it like where you are?"

"Wonderful," she said, her face beaming. "There, there are people who are stranger than I am. There's not a single person who is completely human. It's wonderful, no, it's beyond wonderful. Everyone there is so nice and…it's where I belong. They trust me here. And…they don't know my past." She looked away as she said that.

"Your past?"

"That's a story for another time, Max." She smiled tightly.

"Okay. Jaq's been beating himself up. He's been in a serious depression. What have you got to say to that?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. But…give him this." She held out several flowers in her hand. A blue forget-me-not. A single blooming dogwood. And something I had never seen before. To me it didn't have a name. Nonetheless, I took the small bouquet of flowers.

"So…"

"Are you ready to talk about him now?"

"No."

"Max, my time is running short."

"Let's talk about something else."

"Max," she urged. "You have to know that you will get only what you deserve. When you wake…there will be something important from someone else important. It's a black rose, Max. And it's from my brother, Fang. Think about it. Why would he leave a black rose for you?"

"Because he's being emo."

"Black roses aren't very easy to come by…" Her soft voice held some of the rhetorical sarcasm she used to spew out.

"So? I bet he got Lisa a ruby red rose," I said bitterly. "Should I care?"

"No, you shouldn't. But I can feel it. You _do_ care. More than you should."

"I don't," I insisted.

"You say that now. But…when you wake…really think about it. Max, it's Valentine's day. Give Jaq the bouquet, give Zohra, Adrian and CaraLena these, and for goodness sakes, use your head. Goodbye, Max." She dissolved back into the darkness of the forest, leaving me standing there all alone with three blood roses and a small bouquet.

"Tarlyn?"

"She's not here anymore." A boy's soft voice echoed through. I spun around. I didn't know this person but for whatever reason, I knew it was someone I could trust.

"Where is she then?"

"Where we are. I can't tell you a whole lot more than that. She'd probably kill me." He smirked. "But you should wake up now, friend of Tarlyn."

"Yeah," said a girl, probably a new friend of Tarlyn's said. "It's Valentine's day. And everyone loves Valentine's day! Right?"

"I don't want to wake up," I cried. "I want to see Tarlyn!"

"Too bad," said the boy. He put his hand on my shoulder and gripped it tightly. "_Wake_."

* * *

"Ow!" I clutched my throbbing head as I jerked awake.

"Max?" Bella looked at me, thoroughly concerned.

"Hangover, hangover," I muttered over and over again.

"Aieee!" shrieked Halo while Contessa laughed.

"No liquor, I swear, Halo!"

"Stop scaring me like this!" whined the blond girl.

"It's your turn to use the bathroom first this time," said Bella. "If you don't hurry up, we'll inhabit the bathroom."

"Go ahead," I muttered groggily. I hadn't felt pain like this since the beginning of the school year.

"Yes!" All three of them dashed towards the bathroom. I groaned and nearly flopped down onto the pillow and fell asleep again, but something caught my eye. Three blood roses, a black rose, and a small bouquet. Oh. My. God. Tarlyn. I first picked up the black rose. She said it was from Fang. A black rose. But why…?

Suddenly, my hangover was forgotten and I scrambled out of bed. Taking only the time to check my reflection in the mirror and to change into decent clothes, I rushed over to Tarlyn's old dorm where her three best friends were sleeping.

"CaraLena! Adrian! Zohra!" I rapped on the door loudly. "You guys!"

"Whuzzgoinon?" muttered a sleep deprived CaraLena as she flung open the door. Behind her, Zohra was chiding her.

"I don't understand how you could possibly stay awake so late, I mean, I, I go to sleep early and wake up early so I don't have to deal with this."

"Shuttup."

"CaraLena, how could you tell us to shut up?" asked Zohra in fake shock. Adrian laughed a little too.

"You guys, I saw Tarlyn."

"WHAT?" Zohra ambushed me, kind of like how she ambushed Nudge once. Only that time, she was after Nutella. That girl would probably buy a Gringotts vault worth of Nutella when she grew up.

"Zohra, let go of her!" squeaked Adrian.

"You saw Tarlyn?" asked CaraLena. Her eyes narrowed at me. "Prove it."

"Well, I didn't really see her. She came to me in a dream. I didn't think it was real until…well…" I held up the roses, hoping that it would cover up my lack of explanation.

"Blood roses," Zohra murmured, her long fingers wrapping elegantly around the stem. "Of course." The blood roses were a brilliant sight. They were mostly a pale white with a web of a rich bloody red wrapping it. It was darker at the base and as the bloody web moved up, it lessened until there was no web of blood at all.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Is that proof or…?"

"Yes, it's proof," Adrian said quietly, sounding more serious than I had ever seen her. "She gave these to us whenever we broke up with someone we had loved dearly."

"Max…we shouldn't tell you this…but the blood in these roses…is probably Tarlyn's blood."

"Seriously?" I asked CaraLena. She nodded.

"It's Valentine's day," said Zohra at last. "Let's go and see what we've got for today." They bounded out of bed, looking rushed but unenthusiastic, and left me in their dark dorm room where I couldn't quite wrap my mind around things.

* * *

"Ohh…" I smiled to myself as the hot water flowed over me. It felt so good…I needed that. Smiling still, I got out of the showers and walked over to my bed wrapped in nothing but a towel. I really wanted to go back to sleep again (it was a Sunday) but there were things left to do this Valentine's day. I sighed, changed back into decent clothing, and grabbed all of the stuff Tarlyn gave me. But there was a small, cream-colored card that I hadn't seen before. I picked it up and opened it, of course. Inside it was elegant, flawless writing.

'_A black rose for a black heart.'_

"A black heart?" I said to myself. I frowned but went down where I was sure either Dylan or Jaq would be. Turns out, Jaq was there and Dylan was still knocked out because he had drunk the wrong potion from Sev. Oops. This was just lovely, as usual.

"Jaq?"

"Yes?" He looked in pain. Of course. Valentine's Day was a day for those who were in love.

"Tarlyn asked me to give you these." I handed him the bouquet and his eyes widened ever so slightly that if I were not a genetic abnormality, I might have not seen it.

"I see."

"What are they for?"

He sighed. "I suppose you can guess the meaning behind the forget-me-not," he said, chuckling humorlessly. "And the dogwood is sort of making fun of her own canine mutation. And this…" He softly touched the white lacey flowers which almost seemed to glow. "They are moonlaces. And the moon is for werewolves."

"Why would she…?"

"Tarlyn's mind works in a strange way, I'll admit. It's what made her run away, or so her brother has told me." He sighed. Jaq, being who he was, could have probably suffered a whole lot more than he had already, but he just wasn't letting himself. But then again, a new thought occurred to me, one completely irrelevant to the thought before. Jaq was Tarlyn's boyfriend and Tarlyn was Fang's twin sister. Hmm.

"Do the words, 'A black rose for a black heart' mean anything to you?"

"Yes, actually, they do," he said amused. "That was her first gift to me along with a black rose." No need to ask who 'her' was.

"Huh?"

"We were mortal enemies back then."

"Wow…"

"Yes, I've noticed. We hated each other. I think I might have tried to kill her at some point. No matter, she later explained to me what it really meant. You see, those who are cold and unforgiving have black hearts, cruel hearts. They can't truly love because…they just can't. They can't see past their hate to see the truth. And…because of this….they get what they deserve on Valentine's Day. A black rose for their black heart because only something as lovely and as evil as that could balance their heart out."

* * *

A black rose from Fang for a black heart of mine. Insanity. I couldn't think about anything but that black rose that entire day. Even when Dylan had ambushed me and given me his gift of my favorite chocolate.

"You seem distant," he said, ruffling my hair. I nodded, not really paying attention. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, coming back into reality.

"If you insist," he said, sounding uncertain. I nodded vigorously, handing him a red rose. Not bloody; just a simple, almost bloomed red rose. "Oh…it's so pretty." He smiled slightly and I blushed. "Thanks Max. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Sure." I linked hands with him and we headed towards the cozy little village. On the way, I saw Fang and Lisa making out. _'A black rose for a black heart'_ He was at fault, not me.

'_Your turn!' _The little girl voice echoed in my head. My turn. To do what exactly? Make up with Fang? How could this not be his fault? He screwed her over. He cheated on me. His fault. Not mine.

"Max?" Dylan looked at me, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? We could always postpone…"

"Yeah, I'm fine." We passed other utterly adorable couples along the way. Zohra and Dave. CaraLena and Matt. Luce and Cissy. Even Laurence and Willy. Of course; it was Valentine's day. Who would have expected anything else?

"Hey, do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's or the Three Broomsticks?" asked Dylan, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"The Three Broomsticks, defiantly. Madam Puddifoot's looks as if Cupid threw up in there." My boyfriend scrunched up his nose and made an 'ew' face. I giggled.

"You've got a weird perspective, Max."

"It's the way I roll. Besides, you know it's true. A restaurant filled to the brim with Cupid puke. I'm sure as Hell avoiding that." He laughed.

"Well, in that case, to the Three Broomsticks we go. Come on! Before it's coated in Cupid puke!" And it was a good thing it wasn't. I didn't think I could stand all of that…pinkness. It was nice and warm in there and the swirling scent of sweet Butterbeer wafted through the air. Sharp spots of Firewhiskey and the like also hit my nose and I wrinkled it. Dylan, being a mutant, winced at the sharp scent too. Bits of chocolate smells also drifted through. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Smells so good," I murmured incoherently.

"I know," I murmured back. We drifted dreamily towards a nice little booth by the window and ordered a Butterbeer to share and some caramel chocolate, something we both loved. That and chocolate chip cookies. _Love_ chocolate chip cookies. Other than Dylan, chocolate chip cookies are my world. I blame my Aunt Valencia Martinez and my cousin Ella.

"You know," said Dylan. "This really is a very untraditional Valentine's day."

"I do in fact know. It's Valentine's day and we're staying so far away from our friends…it really is a strange day after all."

"I don't mind," he whispered into my ear and kissed me softly on the neck and then on my mouth, making me smile. And of course, we all knew this good moment wouldn't last for long. After all, being the dark lord's daughter does have a few downsides.

"Death Eaters!" screamed some people outside. Dylan and I, knowing that we wouldn't get intentionally killed, rushed out to see what was happening. Death Eaters were everywhere. Some of the Slytherins, namely the ones in the Ranks of the Death Eaters, tried looking utterly terrified but were trying instead to hide a smirk. This…it wasn't exactly good nor bad. It was good for us, our side, I mean, but at what cost? People would be killed.

"We better make a run for the castle," Dylan whispered to me. I nodded and we ran. On the way, we passed dead bodies, some of which we knew. Like Ashley Freak-out-a-unicorn. And a bunch of stupid Gryffindor. And a Ravenclaw or two. You'd think they'd be smarter than to get killed so idiotically like this. But of course, they managed to get themselves dead so apparently not. Hmm.

The castle was quiet except for the birds chirping outside. At least, for now. But seeing as it was practically empty, we might as well do something. It was so quiet…so peaceful…

"This must be the most chaotic Valentine's day ever," said Dylan. I simply smiled in agreement. This was the most chaotic Valentine's day ever. This was the best Valentine's day ever.

* * *

"Another complication," Luce said gloomily at dinner. "With thirteen people killed, Dumbledore won't let us go into Hogsmeade village for the rest of the school year."

"And I was going to get something from Honeyduke's as soon as I got my allowance!" complained Bella.

"So?" I asked, totally unconcerned. "We could always manipulate someone to get us outta here and into there."

"I'm sure Andre would be willing to help without much manipulation," Nudge assured us.

"But what if we get caught?" asked the twins, sounding flustered. I nearly snorted.

"You guys managed to sneak into the greenhouse and steel things in the middle of the night and you're worried about getting caught visiting the nearby village?" I whispered to them. "You guys are beyond insane."

"Won't we get into more trouble for going to the village without permission?" asked the two of them innocently. Apparently they didn't get it.

"Yes, of course," said Jay sarcastically. "They'll be fuming mad. They'll take away your honor student status." Halo paled and Contessa was whispering, "You're kidding, right?"

"Halo, Contessa, the consequences would have been worse if we had been caught last night, especially, seeing as we would have no reasonable alibi," said Orin lazily. A blur of blond hair flittered and was soon by my side. Some of my friends wrinkled their noses in disgust. Others looked on in scorn. I ignored them all.

"Yes, Sicily?"

"Can I talk to you, Max?" she asked, looking around as if afraid that someone would see her here. "Alone?" I nodded.

"Of course." My friends looked annoyed; Jaq showed no emotion as usual. Nonetheless, I followed her out of the Great hall.

"The Death Eaters," she blurted. "The school is in a total mayhem. They don't think it's your fault; I know it's not. But you're his daughter. And…they killed Ashley." She looked sort of sad. "She was one of my followers." Ah. "Otherwise, they think that someone from the inside is giving the Dark Lord information; how else would he know that today was a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Maybe because there's always a Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's day? Just a guess."

"I guess. There's some boy in Hufflepuff who wants to marry you. Just saying."

"Ew."

"I know. A girl in Ravenclaw thinks you're the Dark Lord's daughter, but she's ironically very dumb; led her sister into the Death Eaters. I don't think anyone will believe her but be careful just in case." I nodded.

"Thanks, Sicily." We returned back to our respective tables; me to Slyhterin, her to Gryffindor. CaraLena made a face at me.

"Why do you even talk to that slut?" she asked in disgust.

"She's not a slut," I said firmly. "Don't make me manipulate you."

"Then why does she act like one?" asked Zohra.

"She just wants boyfriend."

"She won't get one looking like that," she retorted, gesturing to the utterly ludicrous outfit Sicily was wearing. I had to admit, it was a bit slutty looking. She was wearing a super short, super tight daisy dukes, a revealing, tight sparkly red half top shirt with a sort of skin-colored satin billowing down from the hem to her waist. It was sort of cute, in a disturbing, prostitute, and you-can't-pay-me-enough-freaking-Galleons-to-wear sort of way. You know, just saying.

"It is a bit…weird, you have to admit," said Dave.

"You wouldn't mind if you saw it on Megan Fox," I shot back. (A/N Yes, I know she wasn't alive back then. It's just that it wasn't easy finding the hottest girl of 1976, okay?) He got this dreamy look on his eyes and Zohra whacked him. Why do all my guy friends, not including Mr. Emotionless, drool whenever I say Megan Fox?

"Megan Fox, Megan Fox, Megan Fox, Megan Fox," said CaraLena, taunting Dave.

"You're going to drown in your own saliva," muttered Jaq.

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" asked Luce who was craning his neck to see. Apparently, some guy was having an argument about the square root of negative one with the Arithmancy professor. Hey, isn't that…?

"Oh, no," groaned Dave. "It's Eron."

"The square root of negative one has an answer! Everything in the maths (A/N They call it maths in England) world has an answer! You taught me that! Just replace the 'i' with some other number and then you have a real answer!"

"You'd imagine that one of these days he'd understand that Professor Vector doesn't deal with imaginary numbers since she says that because of magic, nothing is imaginary," said Iggy. Dave snorted.

"I've know him better than anyone; he won't stop arguing."

"…there's always an answer!"

"I want to throw a freaking breadstick at him," muttered Sev, clutching his head in despair. If this was a manga, you would see his veins throbbing. "He's Russian, isn't he?"

"…and then there's where…!"

_WHACK!_

"I HAVE THE WORST FLIPPING HEADACHE AND I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU SHUT UP!" yelled Sev.

"DETENTION!"

* * *

After Sev's ironic detention (you would imagine that Eron would be the one getting the detention but no…) we had played a few rounds of Exploding Snap before going to bed or whatever some people did during the night. (I won't go into specifics.) And that's when I knew I'd have another hangover in the morning. Happens during every dream that's not quite right.

"Please forgive me." A little boy was begging a small dirty-blonde girl. She shook her head and turned away.

"I can't. You were a big meanie." She walked away from him. And he ran to catch up with her. "What?"

"This."

"What's this?"

"A black rose. You…you're too stubborn to forgive. You can't forgive. You've shown me that. So, until you prove me otherwise, you can have this black rose. It matches your black heart."

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it was like someone had pressed the 'pause' button on this confusing scene and Tarlyn popped up.

"How hard is this?" she exclaimed. "Maximum Ride, it's not that hard!"

"Tarlyn? What are you doing here?"

"Qui est-ce que vous pense que vous est?" asked a boy, the same one with orange, flaming haired boy as I had seen in the dream before. "Who do you think you are?"

"I can speak French, thank you very much," I snapped at him. The blond girl I had also seen before rolled her eyes at me and remained otherwise immobile.

"You know, Max, if you don't start understanding this, I will shove this into your mind tomorrow and you'll get the world's worst hangover," threatened Tarlyn.

"Can't you just tell me and save me a lot of pain?"

"Pain is just a message," she said pleasantly. "As your father's daughter, you of all people should know that."

"So, what's with all this black rose, black heart business?"

"Tarlyn, I can't hold the magic much longer," whined the blond girl. "Can't you just shove it in her head now?"

"_You_ will stay quiet, Lavina. You're holding the magic because Athens' too tired from studying to stay on honor roll and I'm doing the questioning," Tarlyn snapped at her. Lavina pouted but stayed silent. "Now, think Max. I know you've had a dream before about two little kids. And they're right, sad to say. It is your turn." I gawked. How the Hell did _she_ know? But, of course, she see's secrets. That's just so la-di-da _great_.

"I still need to study…" The guy looked at Tarlyn uncertainly.

"It's a dream, Athens. You can conjure whatever you need." And she tossed him a large textbook and fell back to land in a chair the defiantly wasn't there before. "Now, we're all going to stay until Lavina's magic runs out or it's morning. Whichever comes first."

* * *

"Max! We have class today!" whined the twins, bouncing up and down on my bed. I groaned.

"Worst…freaking…hangover…"

"No alcohol, right?" Halo had learned.

"Nope."

"You seem to be getting hung over a lot, Max," said Bella, concerned. "Are you sure this isn't something you should consult a Healer about?"

"They'll need my parents to be present since I'm not seventeen yet and who here can envision my dad entering the place without causing a commotion?" None of them said a word. "I thought so too."

"Do you want aspirin or something?" suggested Nudge who must have come into the room at some point.

"I'm fine. Just give me some space."

"If you insist." They all left uncertainly.

"Wait!" Bella ran into the room. "Are you coming to any classes, Max?"

"Probably not."

"Oh, okay." She left, this time much more quietly. That's when thoughts started rushing into my head faster than I had ever experienced.

'_You have a black heart…'_

'_You can't forgive…'_

'_It's perfect; matches your heart.'_

'_A black heart because you can't really love.'_

'_You've never felt love.'_

'_Forgive…'_

'_Forgive…'_

'_Forgive…'_

"Are you okay, Max?" I nearly flipped out of bed. A stony faced Jaq stood in the doorway.

"How…how did you get up here?"

"The staircase cannot detect males that can't be seen."

"Obviously," I said, clutching my throbbing heart. "Make some noise when you move, dammit. And stop giving me heart attacks!"

"I'm sorry. But I came to give you this." He held out a small package.

"What's…?"

"She's my girl…ex-girlfriend. I know how she works. You'll need this to get over your hangover."

"Since when was Tarlyn you ex?" I asked, opening the package and popping open a small vial. I downed it in one gulp.

"I…I can't keep hurting like this. She's gone and never coming back."

"Who said that?"

"It's obvious. She's gone. What's the point? It's like she's dead."

"Hmm." I closed my eyes. The thoughts were still here, but they were calm and collected. Forgiveness. I had to…hear Fang out. Wait, wha?

"You might want one of the sugar cubes; it takes away the funny flavor." Only then did I notice the taste of it. It was like burnt poison and some other stuff and it was just bleach… I popped one of the little squares into my mouth. Much better.

"I have to go take care of something," I muttered.

"What was it about?"

"Huh?"

"The dream. Tarlyn can send dreams, don't you know? Most of us can. So, what was it about?"

"The black rose and black heart thing. I've finally really figured it out. Apparently, according to her, it took me way too long so she got really pissed."

"Ah. Well, go do whatever you need to do." He looked genuinely sad. "Goodbye, Max."

"Bye, Jaq." It wasn't until I left did I realize how strangely serious he had sounded when he said goodbye. I ignored it for the time being. Stupid mistake. Just saying.

* * *

I found Fang, who was surprisingly without Lisa, at the walled garden. He was toying with a flower in his hands. A bird of paradise. But more importantly, a bird. And it was beautiful and strange; it wasn't the typical bird of paradise. Rather, it was simpler and duller in color. A yellowy cream color held the base and streaks of brown and more brown surrounded it. I tried moving silently but that was a total, epic FAIL. He saw me before I even completely left the shadows.

"Max?" he asked in surprise.

"Um, hi Fang. Can we talk?"

"Of course." I slowly edged out of the shadows and into the sunlight, closer and closer to the gazebo. Eventually, I got there.

"Ditching class?"

"I don't know why you sound so against it. You're apparently ditching too."

"Yeah. I, um, needed to talk to you."

"You already said that," he said, amused.

"Yeah. I…I'm sorry."

"For…?"

"For freaking out on you that day. When you and Lisa…"

"Okay. Can I talk to you now?"

"Yes…of course."

"I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. But…she…Lisa…she said that she was going to torture you if I didn't cooperate with her. Hurt you. She said that she was the Dark Lord's daughter and she would make sure that you would be killed. And then yesterday…I nearly believed it. The Death Eaters were swarming through Hogsmeade and you were nowhere to be seen. Do you know just how scared I was?"

"You were scared?"

"Of course. Your life was at stake."

"You care?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He smirked.

"Then…what was with all the black rose business?"

"Huh? What black rose?" He looked genuinely surprised. I quirked my head to the side for a moment. If he didn't send it, then…oh, wait.

"Tarlyn!"

"What about her?"

"She sent it! The black rose! I can't believe I fell for it!"

"Yeah, I can't believe you fell for it either. Yes, I sent the black rose."

"Seriously?"

"You wouldn't forgive me so I had to do _something_. It's something I've learned from my sister. Tarlyn's got me totally convinced that she's my sister and all in a few dreams and splitting hangovers."

"You get hangovers from weird dreams too? Same."

"Wow. Anyways, she's all like 'give her a black rose and tell her this' and stuff. She said it'd work. And it looks like it did."

"So it really was you who sent it."

"Yes."

"Oh, really? They what did the parchment say?"

"Why?"

"Just making sure."

"'A black rose for a black heart.' And it wasn't parchment; it was a cream colored card. I…you wouldn't forgive me. That was the blackest part of your heart to me and so I did something about it. Looks like you came back in the end."

"I guess. Apology accepted?"

"Accepted. And I have to apologize for not telling you the truth earlier. I could have saved us months of trouble."

"But I wouldn't let you," I said, smirking and remembering the angry little girl who wouldn't stop yelling long enough to listen to the boy.

"I guess. This doesn't mean that maybe you hopefully want to get back together?" I shook my head.

"Sorry, Fang. My heart belongs to Dylan now." And I left him all alone.

* * *

Remember how I said that I had made a mistake in ignoring how serious Jaq had been? This was what happened:

Jaq, poor Jaq, had been going crazy inside his head due to his lack of wanting to converse with the world and the fact that Tarlyn wasn't there. He was on the brink of insanity and nothing could help him. So, while being trapped inside his own head, he was slowly going insane while the rest of us just thought he was being the stony, quiescent Albino we had grown to love. And then he had said what he thought would be his final goodbye. Why do I mean by that?

Jaq had tried to commit suicide.

**Shortest chapter ever, I swear. I've been sick with who knows what and my life gets more and more chaotic. (Ben and Michael's fault, I promise you.) Of course, life goes on. Well, happy super-de-duper Thanksgiving if I don't post up another chapter before then. GOOD NIGHT. (And good riddance)**


	13. Walking through Dreams

**Hello, schmucks! Guess which lazy slob has put this off until now? That's right! Me! I'd like to leave a message. I don't care if you write anything anymore as a review. If you've read the chapter, put a :), a :|, or a :( so I know that you read it and I know how you feel about it. Thanks.**

"Max!" Dylan rushed up to me right after Advanced Potion, which, as we learned, was a very dangerous subject. Sev and I had just succeeded in creating Amortentia, which, as we had learned a bit too late from Professor Slughorn, was a very dangerous potion and was even more dangerous when brewed wrongly. James had made some sort of…I'm not even going to describe it. We tested it out on James. He's now gotten over his obsession with Lily and is now trying to get with Sicily Varner. However, because Sicily had seen what had happened (she's in advanced potions; I know, I was surprised too) she had the sense to refuse but this was Amortentia we were talking about. And it was brewed wrong. (By, wait for it, JAMES!) If James stayed like that for more than two days, then we were to panic. Until then…

"What, Dylan?"

"I-I think you should come with me." He looked completely flustered. "You too, Sev." My brother gave his best 'who me?' look.

"Why? What happened?" I asked as we rushed towards one particular direction. Dylan didn't say anything. He just kept running forward. "Dylan!"

"It's…you have to see." On the way, I saw Lionel and Willy, CaraLena and Zohra, Dave and…wait…there was no…albino…

"Dylan, can't you just tell us?" asked Sev desperately. My boyfriend shook his head. Sev turned to me. "Can't you manipulate him or something?" I shook my head too.

"I won't manipulate him," I said firmly. I finally realized where we were going. Sev must have noticed too because his eyes bulged.

"We're going to the hospital wing?" Dylan looked apprehensive.

"Yes…we are."

"Who got hurt? Was it Lily?" The red head hadn't shown up for class today for the first time since…the first class.

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean?" my brother demanded.

"See for yourself," murmured Dylan and opened the doors leading to the hospital wing.

"Jaq!" I nearly yelped when I saw his limp form in a hospital bed in the infirmary. Dylan covered my mouth quickly before I could say anything else. But Jaq had heard and he turned his face towards me. I defiantly wasn't prepared for what I saw. He looked pale, paler than he usually looked when he wasn't half invisible. Bandages were wrapped all over his arms. They were soaked and red liquid dribbled from them. Next to him, Lily was there, crying.

"Lily found him," Bella choked out. "It…wasn't pretty."

This is what really happened: Jaq had tried to commit suicide. Obviously, he had failed. But barely. Before, despite his paleness, at least he looked somewhat healthy. Now, he was paler than paper; heck, he was practically translucent. He had been emotionally unstable and when he cried, his eyes didn't turn bloodshot, not like they had ever been before. It was just…that…he had lost so much blood that his eyes were incapable of becoming bloodshot. There was no blood to spare. He had tried to cut himself with a silver dagger he had stolen from the potions dungeons. See, that subject _is_ dangerous.

"Jaq…why…?" I whispered.

"No reason."

"You decided to nearly kill yourself for no reason?"

"…to live."

"You've got plenty of reasons to live!"

"She's not coming back," he croaked. I could feel my jaw drop. He was kidding, right? I whacked him as hard as I could.

"Ms. Ride! If you are incapable of controlling yourself, I will have to remove you from my patients!" exclaimed Madame Pomfrey. I ignored her, like I did with most teachers that weren't worth my time.

"Tarlyn Tyler is still alive, dumbass! She's your freaking girlfriend! If that's not worth living for then you're delusional!"

"Ex."

"Girlfriend."

"Ex."

"She's your freaking girlfriend!" I repeated. "Get used to the idea!"

"Ms. Ride!"

"Jaq Gibbons, if you die tonight, you'll have to answer me in Hell 'cause we all know that committing suicide doesn't make you go to Heaven and I'm defiantly NOT going to the place of happy angels!"

"But it's got haloes," muttered Halo.

"Not now," hissed Contessa. "Our only loyal brother is in a state between life and death and you want to talk about haloes?"

"Jaq! Answer me!" I yelled in his face. He looked away. "If Tarlyn's your ex, then why are you so worked up over the fact the she isn't coming back?" I demanded.

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because."

"Because _what_?"

"Just because." I glared at him.

"Say that one more time," I threatened.

"That one more time."

"Well, you have your sense of humor back. That at least is a good thing," murmured Lily.

"Jaq…"

"Ms. Ride, if you cannot stop provoking my patients then I must ask you to get out!" demanded Madame Pomfrey. I glared at her for a moment and then left, Dylan following me silently.

"I can't believe he'd do something like this," I said to my boyfriend once we were out of earshot. Dylan sighed.

"I don't blame him. He's lost the one thing it the world that mattered to him and is trying to convince himself that he doesn't want her back. I can't imagine the pain he's going through. It'd kill a weaker person."

"How would you know?"

"I don't," he said with a slightly amused smile. "But think about it. If all your life, you believed that you were a nobody and then, someone comes and shows you that you're somebody, wouldn't you feel some sort of loyalty and respect toward them? And if…if you fell in love and then, god forbid, this someone leaves you…wouldn't it hurt enough to make you go insane?" I thought about it. It had never happened to me, but…

He was just an experiment. I was the greatest success story Itex had to brag about. He was dark, quiet, and all alone. I had Iggy and Nudge. I found him later and I pulled him out of the darkest corner. I was his best friend. He fell in love with me. And then I pushed him back. Thoughts jumbled in my mind and I was on the verge of insanity.

"Max? Are you okay?" Dylan shook me frantically. I left him. It hurt. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN, GLORIOUS PAIN!

"No! No! NO!" I screamed as I clutched my skull in agony. I felt like I was about to burst it hurt so much.

"Max!"

"I-I have to go," I muttered to him.

"Max?" I ran. And ran. All of it…it finally made sense. More than it ever did before. I had to find him. To make sure he was okay. And to make sure he didn't try to end up being another Jaq. Where the bleep was he? Oh, of course…

The walled flower garden seemed gloomy and dark; blackened vines crawled up the sides, as if it was choking the life out of the walls. Black roses loomed all over, their thorns sharp and menacingly malicious. Even the green grass didn't seem right.

"Fang?" Instantly, the darkness cleared. The sky paled into a soft blue and the vines turned back into beautiful climbing ivy. The roses were a brilliant pure white again. And why?

"Max." I turned. I knew it wasn't Fang before I saw the speaker.

"Tarlyn…did…did you hear what happened?"

"To Jaq? I'll have to see him when no one's around and he's sleeping," she said looking perfectly calm, even if her voice shook with fear.

"Where's Fang?"

"Not here, obviously. Athens and Lavina are though." The two others walked into sight. This was the first time I had ever seen them for real. Tarlyn had said that she was more comfortable there, wherever they were usually, than here. I looked at them, and I really couldn't see why.

"Are you sure you guys aren't all human?"

"Positive," said Lavina, shaking her mane of blond. Her eyes were blue. She was attractive, I had to admit, but there was something much more potent about her. Athens seemed drawn into her, like a moth to a flame. But a smart moth, trying to stay away from the flame but being tempted anyways.

"You're part Veela," I said. She nodded, twirling around.

"Athens, pay attention," said Tarlyn firmly. The flame-haired boy snapped to attention. "Can you guess what he is?" Athens was unnaturally pale, similar to Jaq. But his eyes were a surely unnatural red-orange. His face was solemn. For a moment, I didn't get it. And then he grinned at me, revealing rows of sharp white teeth.

"A vampire."

"Partially. I have fangs but I don't crave blood," he said simply. "But we aren't here to talk about that. We're here to teach you a lesson."

"I left, as you know, last winter," said Tarlyn. "Now, it did have some effect on Jaq, didn't it?"

"Some effect? You nearly killed him!" I just about shrieked.

"So it worked."

"Do you want to kill him?"

"Not in particular. But you're Voldemort's daughter. You're more important. Who you mate with is one of the most important things. And once you do, we won't matter. You will. Now… you have a grand total of two choices: you can dump that worthless tramp and get back with Fang or you can see what will happen to the two of you if you don't."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, let's put it this way," said Lavina cheerfully. "You can be Tarlyn and Fang can be Jaq."

"So, Jaq's in the hospital wing right now, I presume," said Athens. "Now, if Jaq is Fang and Jaq dies, it means that Fang dies. How does that make you feel, hmm?" Tarlyn had flinched when Athens mentioned Jaq dying.

"I don't care," I said firmly.

"You sure?" asked the little blond.

"Positive."

"Can't we intrude your boyfriend's dreams? Please?" begged Athens.

"That'd be so much fun!" squealed Lavina.

"This isn't about fun. We're not allowed to; Madame Maxi–" She cut off. "Max, how do you think life would be without Fang?"

"Pleasant."

"Tarlyn!" Lavina squealed sharply. Her eyes were wide with fear. Tarlyn glanced over at her with disinterest and then her eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter

"Hmm."

"Oh. Well, breaking the laws won't hurt if we're doing it for the greater good," said Athens simply. "Can we go? We can bring your little friend Max if we must."

"Bring me where?" I asked. Tarlyn looked uneasy.

"We really shouldn't…" She trailed off.

"Was Tarlyn always such a goody two-shoes?" he asked me. "Think of this as a lesson,"

"Fine," she said curtly. "Lavina?" She nodded once and in seconds, we were in a dark and gloomy place. It should have been calm and tranquil, especially to a Slytherin like me, but it just…wasn't. There was something underlying the peace: insanity. There was craving and want and need and so many more emotions that I couldn't place swimming around in there.

"Where are we?" I asked Tarlyn.

"Shh; stay hidden."

"Kind of hard not to when it's so dark," I muttered.

"Darkness is only relative," murmured Lavina. "What seems dark to you is actually very bright to me."

"Huh?"

"Relax. Let your mind flow and blend with this one." Only then did I realize how hard I had been trying to keep my mind inside my cranium. Reluctantly, I loosen up ever so slowly and all at once, everything rushed to me. We were in, not really a room, but an area filled with light. You could see almost everything and once you thought of something you wanted, it would appear. It was almost like the Room of Requirement. But it wasn't really. Rather, it was like I was floating in a dream…

"Jaq?" whispered Tarlyn. "I can't see you when you're hiding."

"Who's there?" Jaq's unusually bitter voice said sharply. "And what do you want?"

"You."

"What?" There was a slight movement in the light but that was all I needed. Once I focused in on the spot, I could see him, Jaq.

"I want you," Tarlyn repeated, trying to keep her face straight and her voice steady. All in all, she was very much in control.

"Tarlyn?"

"I didn't come here for you," she said calmly. "But you still have to live."

"You've left," he said in an accusing tone. "Do you have any idea what it's done to me?"

"Yes. And I'm sorry."

"You say you're sorry now," he hissed.

"I do," she said in the same calm voice. "And I really am. I can't stay for long; they'll surely notice that Athens, Lavina, and I are missing soon. They have such high security in Fra–" She frowned. Another slip up. "I'll…explain everything when I get back." In a dream, you can always tell what the others are thinking. Tarlyn had almost said 'if I get back.' I knew that. I think Jaq did too. But she and her crew left before either of us could say a thing. And for whatever reason, I couldn't get out of the dream.

"Who's there?" asked Jaq. Stupid thought sensor. "No, it's not that stupid." Damn. "Language."

"It's, uh, Max," I said sheepishly. "They sort of dragged me in here."

"But if they're gone…"

"Yeah, I don't know how I'm still here either," I admitted.

"But since you're here…can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure?"

* * *

Stupid hangover. Stupid Tarlyn. Stupid Athens. Extremely stupid dumb blond Lavina. But it was worth it. Last night was a…weird, I guess you could say, night. And yet a rather relieving night.

"It's been hard, not being able to say anything," Jaq admitted. "It's hard for me to reveal things about myself. I can't talk about myself or open up to others. I was never able to, not even to my sisters, until Tarlyn came around. It's actually very scary for me."

"You get scared?" I asked, guffawing. He glared at me and I shut up.

"Of course I get scared," he said, turning away from me and look straight ahead at the great unknown. "Everyone does; you do, I do, heck, even your dad must get scared every now and then."

"Dad's not scared of anything," I boasted. He smiled kindly at me.

"I know that's what you want to think. But the truth is that we are all scared. Of what, I am not exactly sure of."

"You sure? 'Cause my dad isn't scared of anything."

"He's scared. T-Tarlyn told me," he stuttered.

"Of what?"

"Of dying. And of losing you."

"Oh."

"It was only to be expected," he said, smiling in a muted, mysterious way. "You're his only family; I'd be surprised if he wasn't scared. And," he said, looking away, "almost every creature fears death. His fear of it is just more pronounced than others. I suppose if comes from fearing so little." I smiled to myself. That was so like dad. It was such a relaxing experience, just sitting there and talking to someone with the brains and maturity to talk about things like that, I didn't expect and wasn't prepared for when I woke up.

"Stupid hangover, stupid hangover, no, Halo, I had no liquor," I added before she could make a sound. Her sister rolled her eyes.

"She's knows you too well, Halo."

"Max, you've gotten a lot of hangovers lately and I know you never drink except for at parties," said Bella, looking concerned. "What's wrong."

"Everything. Nothing. I don't know," I lied. My sister didn't look too convinced but she let it drop.

"Well, get up, then. We've got a hard day ahead of us."

* * *

I sat on the grass outside the castle. It wasn't too hard to get here, no thanks to Andre who tripped down the stairs and nearly gotten us caught on the way out. I was here to…actually; I didn't really have a reason for being here. I guess I just wanted to feel the last rays of the sun on my face before dinner. Soon, I noticed someone familiar approaching and I called out.

"Dyyyyyyyyylannnnnnnnnn."

"Maaaaaaaaxxxxxxxxxxxx."

"Hey."

"How are you, sweetheart?" he asked, smiling sweetly at me.

"Good," I said. "Good. You?"

"Better since you're here." I smiled to myself. He really was a romantic fool. And I loved him for that.

"Aw, thanks."

"Yeah. I've got to talk to you about something."

"Ask away."

"Fang." I tried to hold back my look of disgust but he caught me and laughed. "I see this'll be a short conversation."

"I sure hope so," I said, making no attempt to stop my nose from wrinkling.

"How do you feel about him?"

"I'm not exactly sure," I said slowly. "I guess, in a way, I hate him in the bottom of my heart because of what he did to me and all. And in another way, I kind of feel like he's my friend, in the way I've known him practically forever. I mean, when I look at him, I see the bastard that broke my heart and the best friend that's saved my life a dozen times. I guess you could say…I'm split into two."

"I forget," he said ruefully. "The two of you were friends, we're you?"

"Yeah, we were." We sat there in silence for a few more minutes.

"I have to go," he said suddenly. I'm sure my face must have dropped because he hurriedly reassured me that he had realized how late it had gotten and he had to go see a teacher. I didn't question him. He had been complaining about this for nearly a week now.

I sat there alone, watching the sunset. It was brilliant, like a golden ball of fire falling towards a great field of emerald. The moment they met, it was like the grass was on fire and the sky looked dull and black in comparison. Beautiful.

After the sun had long disappeared, I walked around the perimeter of the school, hoping to find Andre to help me sneak in. Before that happened, however, I found a door leading to a deserted hallway and entered the castle that way. I thought about today when I spoke with Dylan. God, I loved him. I loved the way his hair looked, I loved the way he looked at me, and I loved the way he smelled.

I loved the way he could kiss me and make everything okay.

But then, there was Fang. Dylan's questioning had brought back some unwanted feelings of animosity towards that traitor. And yet I still didn't know how I truly felt about him. I mean, he had been my best friend for years. He and I and the other two musketeers had been shipped off. I had been separated from the rest of them and the reunion would have been bittersweet had we known what was going on. Despite all of that, he was the one who had saved my life over and over. We used to fight baby Erasers side by side, praying in our hearts that the other would come out alive. We suffered through those wretched tests Itex put together and we comforted each other afterwards. To me back then, he was everything to me. The world a billion times over wouldn't be enough.

And even with all of that, the stupid bastard broke my heart. Stepped on it, tore at it, and shoved it through a meat grinder. Even so, there was a little voice in the back of my head reminding me of something that I would rather forget and had rather known sooner.

_He didn't really break your heart. You broke it on your own.

* * *

_

Whatever Bella meant by 'hard day', I was pretty sure she didn't mean this.

"Oh, hey Lily," I said, beaming. I had just finished all my Charms homework in Advanced Potions without getting caught. Not only was I probably the second (the first being dad) person to ever succeed at such a feat, I now had no homework to do which meant I could do whatever I wanted for my free period. She jumped, looking thoroughly frightened. "Is everything okay? I haven't been seeing you around as often."

"Um, hi Max," she said, smiling nervously. "Listen. I've been kind of meaning to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Want to go take a walk?" She nodded.

After finding Nudge who helped us find Andre who helped us all sneak out of the castle, Lily and I flopped down by the Great Lake while Nudge and Andre dove into the water. The air smelled of fresh cut grass and of sweet spring fragrance. And of lake water, obviously.

"So."

"So."

"You said you wanted to talk so talk."

"I…I broke up with Sev." I could feel my eyes widen.

"Why?" I asked, stunned.

"Max…don't hold this against me or anything but…well…" She trailed off.

"Well…?"'

"I think I might like James Potter!" she wailed. "Don't laugh at me!"

"Oh, you were serious?" I said, stopping at once. She nodded miserably.

"I really think…I like him. I mean, every time I look at him and his stupid inflated ego, my heart flutters. I can't make fun of him and tell him that I hate him anymore. I just can't stand seeing his face fall over and over again."

"Well then," I said. "I don't know what you want me to say. I honestly have nothing against him, other than the fact that his ego could use some deflating so I have no problems with your being a couple."

"Really?" she asked, sounding thrilled. I shrugged.

"Why not? I mean really; other than the fact that you've broken my brother's heart, I have no objections. I mean, typically, this would be the part where I'd tear your head off because you've hurt my brother but I just can't bring myself to do that."

"So you're really okay with it?"

"Yes, Lily, I'm more or less okay with it. If I see you making out with James in the corridors, though, we'll be having another talk about self shame." She blushed.

"You won't, I promise," she said, blushing furiously.

"You guys! Filch is coming!" shrieked Andre as she and Nudge dashed out of the water. I stood up quickly. I could barely see the rascal's grayed head bobbing towards us at a rapid rate. "Quick! To the Whomping Willow!"

"What?" screeched Nudge. "Are you insane? I'd rather face Filch than that monstrosity!"

"It won't hurt us if we can poke the knothole!" she yelled back. We ran as fast as we could to the savage tree, meaning that Nudge and I were running faster than any human and Lily and Andre were lagging behind. Weak little humans.

"If I die, it's your fault!" Nudge yelled. Andre just rolled her eyes and nimbly weaved through the swaying branches of the tree. Suddenly, her arm shot out and her fist made contact with a knot and the tree stood still.

"Whoa…you're one creepy kid, Andre," murmured Lily. If this was an anime (which, to my knowledge, is not,) then you would see one of those cute little red plus-sign like things on Andre's forehead.

"I…am not…a creepy…kid," she ground out looking creepier and creepier by the second as she slipped into a hole that I hadn't noticed before.

"She does realize that–"

"I'm sure she doesn't, Lily," I muttered, sliding in. Andre had led us to a dark, peaceful tunnel, a place than any Slytherin would enjoy. It was quiet, private, and seemingly perfect for plotting scheming plans. Except for one thing which Nudge and I had noticed right away due to those damn mutations.

"Do you smell anything…weird?" asked Nudge. Andre took a big whiff.

"No, not at all."

"Max…?"

"Yeah, I can smell it. Smells almost like…" We locked eyes and said together, "Like Tarlyn."

Of course, we both knew it wasn't Tarlyn. It smelled like her, yes, but she never smelled quiet like this. It was a fowl, canine stench. It took me a moment and then I gasped.

"Max?"

"Nudge, Lily, Andre…" I gulped. "We have to get out. There are…Erasers living here."

"You mean those little rubber thingies on the end of muggle impermanent writing devices?" asked Andre, scrunching up her nose.

"No!" exclaimed Nudge. "Human-wolf mutants!" Lily quirked her head to the side.

"Even if these…Erasers…you speak of are real, what would they be doing here?"

"It's a long story. There's not anyone actually there…right?"

"Nope, not sensing a life form. Wanna investigate or leave?" I asked, even though the answer was pretty obvious to me and Nudge.

"I want to look around," announced Andre.

"Me too," said Lily. I could feel my eyes widen.

"You want to saunter right in to the lair of the bloodiest blood sucker (right after vampires) of all of Bloody Hell?"

"Yeah, just about," said Andre just as Lily said, "Ooh, you said a bad word…"

"Are you insane?" hissed Nudge. "These things are evil and–"

"Can't be any eviler than our future employer," said Andre primly. "Or, are you not interested in being one of Lord Voldemort's loyal followers?" Nudge and I exchanged a skeptical look. We both knew that, although a bit creepy, my dad was awesome. Not like we were going to admit anything in front of Andre and Lily.

"I guess so," Nudge said slowly at last. I scowled. I knew I had to go in. I was the daughter of Voldemort; if I couldn't face a shack smelling of wolves, I could never show my face again.

"Fine," I replied curtly. "But if we find something, anything, alive, we're leaving."

"Okay," said Andre cheerfully, skipping into the little house. I had some misgivings about this, none of which I could tell them.

The place was, as I had anticipated, dark, quiet, and peaceful. I could imagine my father coming here to plot his plans to rule the world when he was a student here. I could grow to like it. Had it not screamed 'wolf' everywhere I sniffed.

"It's kinda cute. In a weird sort of way," said Lily. It was. Even though the place looked like it was ripped to shreds by savage animals, it was sort of nice looking. There were green plush-seat chairs with teeth marks on the soft wood. Long gashes in the wood, undoubtedly caused by claws, were wet and rotting; green moss grew there. Dust flittered through the air and when the light shone in through the cracks, there were streaks of silver in the air. Cracked windows also threw around specks of light, making the place just perfect for us. That is, if it didn't smell of Eraser.

"Ugh, this place gives me the creeps," said Nudge, hugging herself and shivering. She was looking around, as if she was expecting something to come bounding in a kill us at any minute.

"Ew, smells like a wet dog," said Andre, wrinkling her nose. "Let's go." I gladly left, not knowing that this wasn't the last time I'd enter that place. Rather, it was the beginning or very many visits.

* * *

"The pre-End-of-the-Year Banquet is soon," the twins said in a lazy uncoordinated way.

"I don't even have my dress yet," I mumbled.

"It's almost summer break," said Cissy, leaning back in her chair and yawning.

"I know," said Bella lazily. "And I'm dreading it. Sev won't shut up about Lily." She closed her eyes.

"Hey, she did what she wanted to," I said simply. I stared off into the distance. Jaq, who I talked to sometimes after Tarlyn had dragged me into his head, seemed to be making a better recovery physically than mentally, even though he seemed fine in his dream world. Every now and then, Lavina's little sister would come. She seemed so very innocent and she must have not known that Tarlyn and I were both potentially evil or she wouldn't be there. Her name was Apolline.

"This is legal, right?" asked the little girl, seemingly much keener than her older sister.

"Do you think we're inside or outside?" Athens asked her, trying to avoid the question.

"Inside. But is this legal?"

"What makes you think we're inside?"

"Stop avoiding my question!" she whined.

"Who said I was avoiding it?" he asked innocently.

"Athens!"

"Yes, milady?"

"Answer me!"

"As you wish, Precious," he replied, throwing her a look worthy of a pervert.

"_Tais-toi_," she muttered bitterly. Something, I noticed, in my mind clicked just then. But for whatever reason, I couldn't figure it out. Something that had to do with what Apolline had said. And…

"Maximum Ride, get your butt moving," demanded Cissy. "We've only a month before break."

"Huh?" I jolted out of my memory. "Oh. Uh, okay."

"We have orders," she added. "Lionel said so." This raised my attention. Ever since Tarlyn, I had seen less and less of Lionel and Willow-Brook. Heck, I didn't even know if they were together or not. I suppose, I had lost track after having so many others to converse with but it wasn't much of an excuse. And I had kept track of what was going on with the rest of my siblings.

"What'd he say?"

"Well, first off, he'd like to congratulate you on your fine performance during the last Quidditch match and would also like to ask you if you could pass it on to Dave."

"Sure."

"And secondly, your father has been in contact with him. He said that his Death Eaters are going to invade the castle in a week or two; whenever the pre-End-of-the-Year Banquet is. You know, the one for Fourth years and above and everyone who's invited by someone in that grouping? He requested that, on that night, he wants to have contact with you using something Lionel's got so you can tell him when everyone's all grouped together in the room. That way, he can attack them all easier." I nodded. I'd been here for the whole year now and I still couldn't understand just one thing: how daft Dumbledore was. Here was I, the daughter of one of the world's worst terrorist and there was he, the person most opposed to evil. I attended the freaking school he was headmaster of and yet he still couldn't catch me. Doofus.

I met up with Lionel. He was, to my great disgust, kissing Willy rather patiently.

"Get a room!" I nearly shrieked.

"This is a room," murmured my brother, breaking away from Wily for a moment before resuming. Wow, did they piss me off. I was about to risk it all and they're having a make-out session.

"Aguamenti," I murmured, pointing my wand at them. A stream of water instantly shot out at them, leaving them gasping in shock.

"Max!" exclaimed Willy.

"Glad you noticed me," I said, smiling innocently. "Lionel, I like a word with you. Alone." Willy left reluctantly.

"What's so important that you had to interrupt us?" Lionel practically exploded once Willy had left and the door had closed.

"Pre-End-of-the-Year Banquet," I said calmly.

"Ahh." He face instantly became serious. "Yes. Your father wanted you to use this." He held out a thin chained necklace with a green 'S' written in emeralds on a flat egg-shaped locket. I frowned.

"It's gold."

"Yeah? And? You wanted it to be diamond or something? Salazar Slytherin might have been rich but he obviously wasn't rich enough to get this made diamonds," he said, chuckling.

"No. I could never find a dress to look good with that. We all know that green and gold do not mix. I mean, it's a _Gryffindor_ color." I spat the word out in disgust.

"He sent your dress with this too; don't worry, it's something you'll like. And besides, this locket's Salazar Slytherin's, okay? Just wear it. Your dad needs to contact you."

"And how's he going to do that?" I asked, holding it carefully. I had gotten this for my tenth birthday and hadn't seen it since.

Lionel smiled mysteriously. "Open it." I gently opened the locket. On one side, there was a picture of his pet snake, Nagini the Third. She hissed at me.

'_I am happy to sssserve you, massster,'_ she said. _'I will be sssending messsssagessss from your father to you and vissssse verssssa.'_

'_Thank you; I am delighted to know that you will be of assistance.'_ I spoke to her in Parseltongue. Lionel just looked at us strangely but said nothing. Noob.

'_Foolissssh boy,' _Nagini hissed, making a soft, broken noise like a laugh. _'They never sssseem to undersssstand.'_

In the other side, there was a small portrait of my young father, back when he had black hair and was still handsome. He smiled in a way that could make a lesser person scared.

"Hello, daughter. I'll be walking back and forth from this portrait and the one in your father's possession from now on. I suggest you get used to it."

"I plan on it," I said pleasantly. I turned to Lionel. "Is this it?"

"Just about. When you believe that all the people who are coming have come, tell Nagini 'Snake eye' in Parseltongue and she'll send the message to your father and once he's been notified, she'll guide you in to a safe place to hide and will help you, through the snake that you will be putting around the castle, where certain people are."

"Sounds good to me."

"And Max? I really shouldn't be telling you, but your father plans to specifically kill or capture Lily, James, and Fang."

* * *

"Max, get your priorities straight," I muttered to myself. I owed my loyalty to my father, not two good-for-nothing Gryffindors and my ex-boyfriend, ex-best friend with the most STUPID perfect hair. Yeah, that's right.

"The first sign of insanity is talking to yourself," someone from behind announced. I spun around and found myself face to face with Sirius formerly Black, supposedly the hottest boy at Hogwarts. The people who named him that defiantly never saw Dylan after a shower and aftershave.

"Oh really?" I said tightly, too stressed to fight him much. "What's the second sign?"

"When you get a response. What's eating at you, Queen?"

"What?"

"I asked, what's eating at you?"

"What did you just call me?"

"Queen." He looked puzzled. "You are Slytherin's Fourth year Queen, right?"

"Yeah, but how did you know?"

He shrugged. "Regulus. He may be a pain in the ass but he's a downright stupid and easily manipulated pain in the ass." My eyes narrowed at him.

"You had better not talk trash about my little brother," I ground out.

"Ah, yes; I have so dreadfully forgotten," he said lavishly. "Regulus is not longer my piece of shit to kick around, is he?"

"Shut up, Sirius formerly Black," I said coldly.

"My bad, my bad." He held up his hands in mock surrender and grinned at me. "You never answered me. What's eating at you?"

"A lot," I admitted. "My ex. Effie. Jaq trying to commit suicide. Wolves in a tunnel under the Whomping Willow." I expected him to laugh but instead, he looked a bit edgy.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly," I admitted. "All I know is that I smelled wolves in the tunnel. It led to a house and it smelled of, well, wolf. I think we were in the Shrieking Shack or something. It'd explain the screams coming from it."

"Um. Okay. Well, uh, I've…got to go so, uh, yeah. Bye." He dashed off. I quirked my head to the side. School would be ending soon. It was no time to worry about little trifles. So I gathered up all my thoughts about the Shrieking Shack, the wolf smell, and all the business about Lily, James, and Fang being dad's next victims and shoved them into a corner of my head where the light no longer shone.

* * *

Just a week before the pre-End-of-the-Year Banquet, Jaq was released from the hospital wing. And by this time, he looked a whole lot better than he did when he was admitted into that disturbingly clean place.

Even if he was still unnaturally pale, at least now he looked somewhat healthy. There were still long, puckered white marks even paler than his skin all over, what remained of the cuts. His hair was actually white again, instead of that pale pink color the blood had dyed his hair into. All in all, he seemed a lot better.

"How does it feel to be out of that super sanitary place?" I asked him cheerfully. He cast me a side long look.

"Okay, I guess," he whispered.

"You're a lot more talkative when you're asleep," I commented. He turned away from me and looked straight ahead.

"I feel safer within the walls of my mind," he said simply.

"I guess that's understandable," I admitted. "It's good to have you back, Jaq." He looked distant.

"It's good to be back."

"Do you still miss her? Tarlyn?" I asked.

"Yes, of course I do." He paused and stopped walking. I slowed too. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You said she was your ex," I prompted. He seemed to be searching for an excuse.

"Even so, it's not like you don't miss Fang at all," he murmured. I winced and for a moment, perhaps it was just the trick of the light, I thought he looked triumphant. It had passed in a moment, but I knew what he was thinking. He had hit a sore spot and we both knew it.

"I guess not. But I didn't try to commit suicide."

"You aren't trapped in your own head, afraid to show emotion of any sort." He looked almost ashamed. "I should have never shown and emotion towards her. She…wouldn't be gone if I hadn't."

"Stop it; it's not going to help the slightest," I chided. "Emotion is a natural order of life. Those who defy it don't end up so well."

"Says you."

"Yeah. And let's face it: I'm always right. Right?" I grinned and nudged him. He almost smiled back at me.

"Right."

* * *

Today was the day.

It should have been one of the greatest days of the year. Like homecoming or prom or some other sort of dance. But not today. Today was they day where I'd pick where my loyalties lied; with Lily, James, and Fang or with my father. If Fang hadn't been in the picture, I'd defiantly be all loyal to dad, but how could I stand by and watch my once best friend who saved my life get killed by the very organization I was helping? And there was so much to understand. I couldn't betray Lily; despite Sev's protests, I knew he still loved her. And then there was the dress which I couldn't figure out how to fight in until a few hours before the Banquet.

Lionel said I'd love the dress, not trip over it. So it's his fault.

The dress was beautiful; I couldn't deny it. It was made of dark green velvet and beyond floor length. The sleeves were elbow length and flared out. There was a silver and gold trim on it and I loved it. Mostly because there were large but discrete holes for my wings and because it was long enough to cover my pants which would come in handy if I was going to be using my five-inch stilettos to kick someone in the face.

"Stop it!" whined the twins. "We said stop it!"

"I'm practicing self defense!" I said, flipping onto my hands and balancing while kicking invisible ninjas from all sides.

"AAAAAHHH!" Bella screamed. I strained to look at her, seeing as my position limited my head movements.

"What?"

"You yanked my necklace out of my hands!"

"Huh?" Looking up to where my feet were I noticed a black necklace dangling on my stiletto. No wonder why that last kick was so hard.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" asked Cissy, who was already all dressed up and patiently waiting for Luce. "I mean, your dress is just so long…"

"If it saves our lives, it'll be worth it," I said, kicking up at the wall and narrowly missing the mirror.

"Now I know who I'll be sticking close to during all of this," muttered Cissy.

"You're going to hurt someone," snapped the twins.

"Yeah right." I high kicked at the door just as it opened. My heel was about to land in Zohra's face but she caught me by my ankle and flipped me over. I landed roughly on the floor.

"Hey!"

"Self defense," she said cheerfully. "You attacked me first."

"You opened the door."

"You're going to hurt someone," she reprimanded. Sometimes, I wondered if the twins and Zohra compared notes behind my back.

"Aren't you done by now?" asked CaraLena. "What's taking you all so long?"

"They want to say that Max is practicing her ninja skills in their dorm so they're more concerned about dodging her attacks that getting dressed," said Adrian quietly. "But they won't say a thing since they've realized just how stupid it sounds."

"HEY!" shouted the twins. "We do _not_!"

"You don't want to say that?" asked the little seer, sounding genuinely confused. "But my visions are typically correct."

"We meant that we don't think we sound stupid!"

"Oh. Well I think you sound stupid and that's all that matters, right?" Halo growled at her and Contessa hissed.

"Max, stop trying to tear their heads off. Actually," said CaraLena, "I think you should come with us."

"Where to?"

"You'll enjoy it, promise." I looked at them skeptically for a moment but went anyways.

"Bye, guys."

"Yes! She gone!" I heard Bella say as I closed the door. I rolled my eyes. Couldn't they see that I was trying to save lives here?

"So, what are we doing?"

"Hunting down the rest of the people in our merry group of mutants," explained Zohra. "I want to take picture and then laugh at them in ten years."

"Um…"

"Just go with it, Max," said CaraLena with a knowing sort of smile.

"Where do I find a camera?"

"You can borrow Adrian's. She's in need of something to calm her so I think she went to Madame Pomfrey's. Let's go."

Really, this was funny. Really funny.

I had found Selwyn with Adrian by the Great Lake and had them pose for me. Riles and Andy, both Hufflepuffs, who seemed to me as different as day and night looked at opposite as possible and they apparently went to ridiculous measures to do so. Concussion, a Slytherin, and Anna, a tiny little Hufflepuff, actually looked pretty cute in the picture. Another couple from our group of mutants whose names were on the tip of my tongue, two Slytherins, smiled sweetly in a childish but cute sort of way. Eron, a particularly annoying Ravenclaw with a brain of an owl, was arguing with his date when I snapped the picture of them. CaraLena smirked when she saw that.

"You know, the only reason why he never argued with Tarlyn was because she threatened to convince the school that he was gay and he defiantly didn't want that."

"Ha, seriously?"

"Mhmm. That was before Jaq became part of our group." She had a bittersweet smile on her face. "I kind of miss her."

"Same."

"Oh, she'll come back," said Zohra, flopping down on a couch in the room. "She always does. Now, who wants to look at this really weird picture of Eron and some stupid Hufflepuff blond?" We looked over at the picture and CaraLena snorted.

"Douche. Sometimes, I just want to break those wings of his. He doesn't deserve them." Then she took a double take. So did I. It wasn't obvious. You couldn't see it unless you were looking for it. And we were. Right there, in the picture, the tips of Eron's wings could be seen. You didn't even have to know that Eron had wings to see that they were what they were. It was in frigging plain sight. If someone saw them, our secrets would be revealed. And we couldn't let that happen. Not if we wanted to stay safe. Not if we wanted Tarlyn to live. We all looked at each other.

"Oh, shi–"

* * *

**THERE! I updated. Longest chapter you'll probably ever get. And we're approaching the end soon. Each year's a new story, 'kay?**


	14. The Nightmare before Summer

"Damn!" Selwyn kicked the wall. "Where's the fucking bastard?"

"Language!" said Zohra, shocked. He glared at her.

"I'm sorry. Dang. Where's the freaking douche bag?"

"Much better." I could understand why he was freaking out. We couldn't let the world know. Not now. And Eron was nowhere to be seen. Fucking bastard.

"You know," said CaraLena, "I really don't understand why you're so freaked out. You're at least…semi-normal, Wynn."

"My sister," he muttered. Jaq winced ever so slightly when he said that. "I owe her one. Spread out. Zohra to Slytherin, I'll take care of the brawnies, send Jaq to the place of petty, and CaraLena, you're taking care of the nerds." They all left for their respective places except for me.

"Where am I…?"

"Look. I know you can shadow travel. Go to as many places as possible. Find Eron. Bring him back to the room behind the painting of the Angels when you find him, lock him in, and get the rest of us."

"Why do I have to lock him in?"

"So he doesn't escape before we can punish him."

"Huh?"

"Revealing secrets that could hurt others," he said, looking away. "It's an unsaid rule of the Slytherins and even though Eron isn't one of us, we made it a rule of the mutants. He has to pay."

"Um, okay…" It seemed reasonable. But…the picture looked almost normal. Was this really worth freaking out over?

"It's beyond what's on the outside. There's some other thing, Max, that's of great importance. You can't see it yet, but it's there." He looked at me. "It would sway the war. Find him, let us take care of him, and we might just win."

* * *

Winning. It seemed next to impossible. But I wanted it. To win this war…to be the daughter of the most powerful man in the world; it was enough to make anyone's mind spin with wonder and glory. Selwyn's words fed my desire to win. It fueled my enthusiasm. I ducked in and out of the shadows faster. My steps became sloppier. I think a first year Huffy saw me once. Eventually, I found him. Rather, he found me. And I'm not talking about Eron.

"Maximum Ride," hissed a displeased voice. I nearly jumped. And if I didn't, my heart sure did. "You're getting messy. Shadow traveling is a careful skill, not something you charge blindly through!"

"Fang," I breathed.

"Don't look so surprised," he muttered. "You've been whisking around this place for nearly an hour like a drunken monkey. You were bound to get spotted sooner or later."

"By you, of all people?"

"I'm the only other person that can shadow travel."

"It doesn't mean that you have to!" I snarled. He glanced at me.

"Ditto. So. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Eron."

"He's gotten pissed at his girlfriend again, I assume."

"Yeah…how did you…?"

"Tarlyn and Eron were the most gossiped about couple this school has ever seen. She's lil' Miss Sunny 'n Sweet while he's all annoying and so…annoying. He NEVER stops talking and he acts like he's smart because he talks so much."

"I don't think he's acting," I admitted. Fang looked at me in surprise. "I think he talks because he doesn't know better." He smirked.

"Very true. So, want some help finding bird-brain?"

"Yes, please."

"Why didn't you just ask your boyfriend?" he almost sneered. I glared at him for a moment and then brightened.

"Genius!" I exclaimed. "Thanks!" I ran off. How could I have forgotten that Dylan could see pretty much anything?

He was lounging in the Slytherin common room, not paying the slightest attention to Zohra, who was craftily weaving through the place looking for Eron. I had to admit it. She was good.

"Dylan."

"Oh. Hey, Max." Then he suddenly stopped, looked me over, and smiled. "You look amazing."

"Huh?" I looked down and realized that I still wore my dress, the green and gold one. The look of awe on his face was really wonderful. I had stood in front of Fang in this dress and all he did was state obnoxious comments on how sloppy I was while shadow traveling. "Thanks."

"No problem. You'll go with me, right? To the Banquet?"

"Of course," I said, beaming. "You're my boyfriend, after all."

"Okay. I was just making sure."

"Anyways, could you help me with something? Please?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'm trying to find Eron."

"Why…?"

"Selwyn wants to kill him." Dylan pretended to muse over it for a moment. Of course, he must have remembered how annoying that nerd was and agreed wholeheartedly.

"We're looking for a nerd who's not smart enough to not get caught; how hard could this be?"

"Pretty hard," I admitted. "I had to get you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but–"

"We can't find him all too easily. It's like he's disappeared down a hallway and–"

"Max?" Dylan looked at me, concerned. Andre! Of course! She could help find him. She was practically a tracker. But she wasn't a mutant. And that made all the difference.

"Nothing. Keep looking." We went from place to place, but for whatever reason, bird brain wasn't to be found.

"It'll be a chaos unimaginable for us if the world finds out," said Iggy, blindly shaking his head. "And the worst part is that I can't help."

"He's right, you know," said Dylan. He looked distant. "There's something not quite right about this whole situation, but for whatever reason, I just can't seem to put my finger on it."

* * *

The pre-End-of-the-Year Banquet was something to be witnessed. Beautiful flags of the winning house team (Slytherin) hung from the ceilings and swayed gracefully with a breeze we couldn't feel. The ceiling was enchanted to be covered in stars and to look like night. We could see bright silver and green fireworks bursting in them. Even though there were no bright orange pumpkin giveaways and the tables weren't loaded with candy, this reminded me dreadfully of Halloween, when the youngest Gibbon was taken in by my father. Not my kidnapping, dear me. It's such a strong word. I prefer 'surprise adoption'. But with no paperwork.

"This has an unnerving aspect to it," murmured Jaq, sounding the slightest bit scared. "Are you sure your father won't be jumping out and taking another one of my traitor siblings?"

"No."

"Max…"

"What?" I said with an offhanded shrug. "I'm really not sure. Ask me when this is over."

"A Hell lot of good it'll do then," he muttered as I glided with the grace of a princess to Dylan, who smiled and kissed my hand.

"Last night here. Aren't you excited?"

"A bit. But it's an uncomfortable feeling."

"Why?" he asked, looked at me with a concern written all over his face.

"The last time I went to a gathering like this…" I trailed off. What was I going to say? 'My father came in with his pack of werewolves and killed a few people'? Yeah, because that would comfort him. 'Tarlyn was there she isn't anymore'? That'd just depress Jaq, if he was currently invisible and listening in on us.

"Max…?"

"Oh, I was just thinking, it's so weird, knowing that the last time something like this happened, I was with Fang," I said, not really lying. It was the truth or part of it at least. He grinned.

"Yeah, I guess that'd be a strange feeling." I nodded to myself and looked around the place and saw Lisa Dwyer eyeing Dylan. Not again…

"Say, Max?" Willy scooted toward me. "Isn't that Brigid Dwyer over there eyeing Laurence?"

"Ew," muttered Lionel. "Didn't he go out with her little sister a few months ago?"

"Didn't you go out with her a few months ago?" accused Willy, looking at him with an amused smile.

"No. That was your ex." She paused for a moment, thinking.

"I knew there was a reason to be pissed at her."

"Oh, there's Lily with…is that…?" I spun around. Lily stood there, head held high, with JAMES POTTER? Oh wait. She already told me this. Never mind…

"Well, if this isn't weird, then I don't know what is," muttered Lionel. "What happened to her and Sev?"

"It's history by now," I said breezily.

"Oh really?"

"Mhmm."

"I thought I'd never live to see this day," my Dylan said, shaking his head pitifully. "Lily and James."

"They're cute though," I admitted. "In that weird sort of way." Looking around, I saw Adrian, petite, quiescent, Adrian. She smiled slightly at the sight of her brother and our friend. She knew Dante would be coming here next year and she knew that he'd never know Lily like she did. But even if he had something against her for being his brother's girlfriend, she'd know that they'd get along. I could tell that by the look on her face and the slightest of sparkle in her eyes. Aren't I amazing?

Then Sicily Varner ran up to me, screaming something unintelligible. She was in utter hysterics. In a matter of seconds, I understood her incoherent blabber and I could see creatures pouring in through the only open door. Then there was the deafening roar of people when people poured in.

And then, darkness.

It was like a nightmare, only much more twisted and much more real. I could see, but only a little. Echolocation. Vicious creatures tore in through the place and ripped out the throats of those closest to them. Sicily was screaming in my ear.

"THEY HAVE LILY!" I nodded once to her and tore off into the crowd. Sev, who had been right next to me when Sicily said that, also ran through in a mad frenzy. We were scared and we all needed to know that those who we loved were safe. I saw a flash of bright red curls go down. Lily? No. Contessa. She was a Slytherin. The creatures would spare her. She was only a minor concern at the moment. I knew I should have hated Gryffindors. But I couldn't just sit there and let them die. I should have gone and killed them along side my father. I didn't do either of them. Rather, I ran after dad's three targets.

"Adrian, let go of me!" I wailed, struggling her unexpectedly vice-like grip. Although small and dainty, she was strong. "Let go!"

Her auburn waves trembled. "No, Max," she said weakly. "You're running to your own death. I can't let you do that."

"Adrian, they have your brother!" She looked at me, shocked and her hold slackened. I broke free and dashed away. I could hear Lily's frantic screams as they dragged her out. In a few moments, she was out of sight. James was worse off, being bound, gagged, and knocked out. Fang…I couldn't find him at all. A shadow quivered slightly and a werewolf, Fennir, flung himself on it. My best friend was found. He was dragged out of the giant hole they had made in the wall, bloody and hurt. It was too much for me and the next thing I knew, I fell into soft, sweet, black oblivion.

* * *

We never did find Eron. Or, at least, we never did find him alive. After the din had died down and whatever was left of the students were sent to bed, my siblings and I snuck out to check the place out. I had to admit, dad did a pretty good job of tearing the place apart. It made me wish that he could have saved some of the fun for me. Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk.

"What do you want to do?" Lionel asked me. It was like the old days when Lionel would make sure I was enjoying myself. I shrugged.

"I don't know." I turned to ask my other siblings. They looked like little kids locked in a mall with an unlimited credit card. With all the stores open. And their parents too busy to notice. And with a frozen yogurt machine.

"This…is…heaven…" Luce looked utterly awestruck. I rolled me eyes.

"Let's find all the dead bodies first." Lionel snorted.

"Fun…," he said sarcastically.

"It should be," I retorted and skipped over to a particularly large pile of rubble. My older brother sighed and came over to help me dig through it. Piece after piece of broken stones and wood were tossed aside. We came across something that looked like a chew toy before we started finding bodies. Pieces of someone's body were found. An arm. Someone else's leg, bloody and torn up. We came across people we identified. Like Brigid Dwyer. Lionel grinned when he saw her dead body. There was a little first year Huffy who managed to sneak in. And…I was torn between feelings of amusement and lost at this last body. Eron was dead. I wasn't sure if I should have been glad that his annoying-ness was gone and our secret was safe or sad that there wouldn't be any more of those oh-so-amusing arguments between him and CaraLena when the two of them were pissed.

"Hey, isn't this the super annoying Ravenclaw in your year?" Lionel asked. Luce peaked over my shoulder to see what was going on and smiled in a bittersweet way.

"Yeah, it is. Eron Erza. He was rather annoying. And a complete nerd."

"Isn't being a 'nerd' a good thing?" asked Bella as she and Cissy emerged from under a small, bridge-like structure formed by several misplaced columns and stuff. I shook my head.

"No, of course not. Nerds have no friends. Geeks do. And geeks get it done, while nerds are procrastinators. And they're better at computers." Poor un-connected-to-the-muggle-world schmucks. They couldn't even tell the difference between a geek and a nerd!

Bella made a face. "Same difference. Does it really matter? I mean, either way, he's sort of dead…" I nodded.

"Either way, he's dead," I repeated. "Either way, he's dead." I smiled grimly.

"Max…you're scaring me," whimpered Cissy, looking at me creepy expression. Even Sev, who went around somewhat unnoticeable, made himself known by quirking his head at me. I wiped my father's victorious expression off my face. I swear, I was becoming more and more like him every day.

* * *

Summer. It was back to the old days where Lionel would poke his head in my room each morning to announce breakfast. I'd shove the empty spot where Grey used to sleep and was saddened when there was no eighty pound wolf to shove. Little half wolf, half husky dog pups swarmed around my feet everywhere I went. Snowflake, Skye, and Blizzard were now pretty big and too heavy for me to carry around in my arms. Baby Storm, Cloud, Rayne, and Ayre now followed in their footsteps. I still had the occasional crème brule for breakfast and played Quidditch on the field with Luce and Lionel. When Selwyn, Zohra, CaraLena, and the rest of the crew visited, we played Quidditch with them. Sev still locked himself in his room, discovering new potions. Dylan was busy with his legal guardians in Canada and couldn't visit us often. Nudge was all doped up on the French foods our chef cooked and Iggy was still getting used to the fact that it was unnecessary to keep track of when the staircases would change since they never did in the first place. To anyone, we were just happy little kids enjoying freedom.

We weren't. Far from it, actually.

By night, we went down to the dungeons where our prisoners were stored. There, Nudge would talk with Shawna again, Contessa, Halo, and Jaq would reunite with their little sister, and we'd all see Fang, Lily, and James again.

It was scary, even for me, although I would never admit it in front of them. Adrian was relieved to see her little brother and I was relieved to see Lily alive because I was sure that dad would kill her for being a first generation witch. Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Iggy were thrilled to see the brother they had looked up to and disapproved of when the epidemic with Lisa happened. Lily knew what was happening. James had a good idea. But Fang sure didn't.

"You…you're his daughter?" Fang asked in disbelief. "I had always thought that Lisa was. She…she said that the school would be attacked by werewolves on Halloween because of You-Know-Who and had me convinced that she was his daughter. And then…and then she said that she would have him kill you if…" I shook my head.

"Lisa Dwyer's far too squeamish to kill," I said, amused.

"I should have known," he murmured, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall.

"Yes," I agreed. "You should have." I heard the sharp sound of the doorknocker and cussed.

"Max?"

"It's okay, Nudge. 'Dam' isn't a swear word. It the things that bevers live in. Or it's what muggles use to block water. Like Hoover Dam." She opened her mouth, no doubt to rant off reasons why it way. I cut her off before she could begin. "We better go on upstairs. And fast." We scampered up after a quick goodbye to all the prisoners. Only a few moments after we had closed to door, the butler found us.

"There's a girl requesting to see you, Ms. Ride," said Reau. I nodded respectively.

"Send her into the parlor. I'll see to her." My friends all followed me to the sitting room parlor and took a seat down on one of the silver and green chairs in the obsessively snake-themed room. You see, dad enjoys decorating things. It's like feng shui for him. Don't ask how a killer like him can find decorating comforting 'cause I sure as Hell don't know.

A tall, thin figure came in. I was pretty sure it was a girl, despite her lanky figure which was often associated with guys. She wore white tights and a green shirt. She also wore a black skirt over her tights and a simple black jacket. Her face was down and her hood was covering most of her hair and I couldn't make out details. Her boots were worn out and reached almost to her knee and were black and ripped and bound together with what looked like rolls silver duct tape, all criss crossing each other in a messy but nice pattern. We all looked at her curiously.

"Why…?"

"State your name and business." Despite the shadow that hid most of her face, I saw her grin. "What?"

"Tarlyn Tyler," she hissed. "And I'm here to visit." Then she looked up at us, her tuff of white on the right side of her hair fluttering lazily in front of her face. She looked at all of us and we stared at her, feeding off her image, like we could live forever, just looking at her. She just grinned like she was seeing us again since breakfast, not like she hadn't seen us for months now. "Hi."

* * *

Summer. Things were back to the way there were. Tarlyn and Jaq were back together. It was like they had never seen each other before.

"They love each other," Zohra said simply after I had confessed this to her. "They have a bond that we don't. It broke and then it was fixed. I'd be surprised if they weren't obsessed with each other right now."

"I think they are," muttered CaraLena. Tarlyn was curled up, her head on Jaq's chest. His arms were around her and they were both smiling. It was so sickeningly cute that I wanted to puke like Rayne after she had eaten some fowl bird yesterday. No pun intended. No joke.

"So, Tarles," said Selwyn. "Where've you been? We've been worried sick!"

"France," she admitted. "I'm going back there for my Sixth year too."

"What?" Zohra gawked at her and Jaq's face fell slightly. "Why? What kind of education are you getting there anyways?"

"The French kind, obviously. It's great there. Everyone knows almost everything about everyone else and nobody hates anyone else and not a single person there is entirely human. In fact," she said, "there's a boy there who is a result of a human and a giant, like Hagrid. He's tall but skinny and really creepy. Then there's Lavina and her little sister, Apolline. They're both half Veela and they're really pretty and have terrible attitudes when pissed. They're great, even if Lavina's a little stupid. And there's Athens. He's part vampire but he doesn't like the taste of blood. Funny, huh?"

"There's a school in France?" asked the twins in surprise.

"There's a school in every country," said Tarlyn. "Well, maybe except for Antarctica or something."

"We meant a magical school," they said, flushing. Tarlyn nodded.

"Beauxbatons. It's really far away. I've been living with Athens and his family for a while now." Jaq flinched at the thought of her living with another boy. She noticed. "What?"

"It's…it doesn't feel right," he said at last.

"Athen's is just a friend," she insisted. He shook his head.

"I know. It's just an unusual feeling. And I'm not sure I like it." I thought about it for a moment.

"You mean jealousy?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I've felt that before. It doesn't feel like this."

"Jealousy comes in many different forms though," said Nudge thoughtfully. "I mean, some sort of jealousy–"

"That's enough," said Iggy, cutting her off. Tarlyn laughed.

"Let her talk. I haven't heard her ramble about something for months now." Nudge happily obliged. When Reau came around with a three story tea-tray, I told him that there would be an extra person at dinner tonight and that father would need to be told. He nodded, his eyes flickering almost involuntarily over to where Tarlyn was.

"Ooh, mini crème brules!" squealed Nudge, cutting short her ramble to take one of the tiny little delights on the tray. I smiled. She looked so young and carefree this way. In a way, I was jealous of her. At the age of eleven, dad had already made me go to gymnastic competitions to prove to him how agile I was. It was a benefit in physical fights.

Some way or another, the prisoners were brought up and it defiantly wasn't a comfortable subject.

"Fang, Lily, and James are down there," Zohra admitted. I hated it, knowing that my best friend was down there, battling disease-carrying rats while I was up here have a tea party. It wasn't a comfortable feeling. I twitched slightly in my seat but made no other movement.

"I can see them, right?" asked Tarlyn nervously. I nodded.

"Feel free." She got up and headed towards the dungeon opening. Jaq grabbed her wrist. She turned.

"What?" He looked at her pleadingly. She nodded. "Okay, you can come." He noticeably relaxed and went with her. For the Hell of it, we all went for the second time that day. Just for kicks.

The place was as dark and as dank as ever. Fang's lifeless eyes followed his sister, occasionally glancing over at me. Every time he did, I could see all the pain he was going through. And every time that happened, it felt as if a shard of ice had hit me in the chest. It was a cold, burning, and painful feeling, one I could not explain in words, English, French, Greek, or otherwise. Eventually, the place emptied out leaving only me, Adrian, and the prisoners. I looked at Fang and he looked back at me. The pain hit me again and I knew I could take it if looked at me even once more. I didn't know this feeling, this emotion, and I defiantly didn't like it. I looked over at Adrian and gestured with my eyes that we should head on up. She obliged.

Once we made it up, she just looked at my eyes, like she was reading them. Sometimes, she was as bad as Angel. After a few minutes of searching, she looked at me with the most serene expression I had ever seen on a person's face.

"Maybe," said Adrian in the softest voice ever, "maybe what you're feeling is love."

* * *

I strode down the long corridors of the mansion. I loved this place. It was decorated in the great I-need-stress-relief last year. It was, as to be expected, sliver and green. And it was great for musing over things, like what Adrian had said yesterday down in the dungeon. '_Maybe what you're feeling is love…'_ What did she know about love? I know, I know, Selwyn's her boyfriend and all, but they never acted like they were more than friends. They could have broken up, and I wouldn't have noticed. She didn't know love. Honestly, I didn't know either. For some reason, I didn't think that any of us really got it. We were, after all, cold-hearted Slytherins. We knew nothing of this 'love' she spoke of. We were supposed to be able to kill an unknown person without sparing them a second thought. This was how we were. Or, at least, how we were supposed to be.

"You know love," said a clear, sweet, voice. I nearly jumped out of my skin; I had been so preoccupied with my thoughts that I hadn't noticed a little blond head bobbing up and down beside me as I walked.

"What do you mean, Angel?" I asked, bemused.

"You know love," she repeated. "I couldn't figure it out either, until I poked inside Adrian's head." I frowned.

"You shouldn't poke into other people's heads," I chided. She shrugged, unconcerned.

"I needed to understand. You're right, though. Adrian doesn't know love. She doesn't know it like you do."

"What do you mean?"

"For Adrian, she only thinks she loves Selwyn. But she doesn't know the feeling. But she's grasped a basic concept of it. She thinks about it a lot. And I've prodded you before and…you've felt it."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "When?"

"It's a common occurrence. You feel it for your family and for your friends, like most people. You feel love for your dogs. And you feel it for things you adore, like crème brule. As a matter of fact, 'adore' is French for 'love'."

"And crème brule's a French dessert," I muttered. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, actually. I figure since, you know, Tarlyn's back from France, it'd be nice to know a bit about French. But anyways, that sort of love is natural. It's in just about everyone. But then there's another kind of love…that's also kind of common. But there isn't a whole lot of it floating around the Slytherin common room, that's for sure. I don't know how to explain it…" She frowned. "It's like the way you feel for Fang. You know, that pained feeling you got when he was captured? How you felt like the world had ended?" WTF? My mind flashed back to that heartbreaking moment when he had been torn out of my sight. I felt…pain, for starters. "Yeah! That one."

"Stop poking at my mind!" I demanded. "And the way I feel for Fang? What on earth are you talking about?" She shrugged.

"How would I know? I just remember being rudely awakened by your sudden burst of emotion flooding my brain. I've never felt a stronger thought and it pretty much barged through me like a truck. And it was a strange, sharp, feeling. It felt like…you know that funny taste you get in your mouth when you suck on metal? That taste. It's something you're completely used to, right? I mean, everyone's used to metal. It's everywhere. But when you taste it, it's like you're experiencing another part of it. It's familiar to you, but it's not at the same time. And it's a different sort of feeling. But a good kind." I simply stared at her.

"What?"

"It's that sweet, sharp flavor," she said, wrinkling up her nose. "But it's strange, like it's unfamiliar." I nodded, not really getting where this was going.

"Angel, sweetie, I don't think that's love," I said gently. She shook her head stubbornly. "Love is supposed to be a good feeling, right? A happy sort of feeling?"

"Yeah! Sometimes it is! But sometimes, it's a painful feeling, when you love sometime or someone so much that you feel for them when they're experiencing some sort of emotion. Like when your dad is happy with all that he's accomplished. Doesn't that make you feel happy too? And when Lionel, your brother is all sad because he's broken up with Bethany, don't you feel sad too?" Jeez, how did she find out about Bethany? "I read minds, duh."

"Get out of my head!" I snapped, covering my head, as if it would keep her out.

"It won't." I glared at her. She coughed. "So, don't you feel the same way they do if you love them?"

"Yes, but I don't feel like Fang," I said. "Wait; that come out wrong. I don't ever share my emotions with him. That came out wrong too. I–"

"I get it," she said. "That's because he's just a little more than that. Your emotions of love aren't guided by your brain anymore when it comes to him. When Fang's involved, you're actually guided by your heart."

* * *

Stupid, typically quiet schmucks, making me ponder over things that I would normally never ponder over. It was a waste of time and brain space, not to mention brain cells. Other than the time I had those dreams about my past, I had never thought so much about disturbing thoughts. Thinking about the dreams reminded me of a conversation I had had with my father. I had, like any other kid, asked my father about where I had come from.

"You were from the womb of a prison inmate in Papua New Guinea. Or maybe it was Alcatraz. I forget," he had told me, not missing a beat while lazily reading through this week's reports of the killings. I giggled and thought he was being funny which was something uncharacteristically normal and happy for someone like me. He looked up from his reports and smiled.

"Really, daddy. Where did I come from?"

"From a lab in America," he admitted and by the seriousness of his voice, I could tell that he meant it.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded gravely. "Then who's my mommy? Lionel has a mommy. Why don't I have a mommy?" He sighed.

"Max, your mother, Aella, was a great person. I don't deny. She was strong and she had the same views I did for many things. But in the end…" He trailed off. "In the end, she died giving birth to you. It was too much and she..died." I felt terrible right then, knowing I had unintentionally killed my mother. Dad must have noticed too because he smiled at me kindly. "It's not your fault, Max. She wanted to have you so terribly, she wouldn't have cared that she had known that she would have to die to let you live. If she was still alive today, she would have been so proud of you." I nodded numbly and decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. Although I loved my father, he wasn't known for his fatherly feelings.

"Okay. Now, have you figured out the summoning spell yet?" See what I mean? Fatherly moment over.

Looking back on it now, I'm glad that he told me the truth, rather than have me find out from someone else in his ranks. It hurt me terribly at first, to know that I was a murderer. But then again, that's what I was raised to be. Lionel helped me realize it. He helped me to accept myself for who I was.

I gazed out the window, where the sun was setting. It made me sad, to know that I wouldn't see it again for a while. But it made me happy to know that it would come again. And it was just like life, just like love, and just like practically everything else. It has to go down before it can go up. I smiled to myself, and drew the heavy drapery, blocking the sunset from my view. It was then and there that I realized what was wrong with me in retrospect to who I was.

In the world I lived in, there was no room for this sort of love.

**Finally…finished…with the prologue… Why, yes, I am a sad, sad person.**


	15. NOTICE

HELLO! HI! Did you miss me? _Was?_ (Translation: What?) You didn't? _Mutti!_ (Translation: Mummy! As in the mother, not the bandage wrapped kind.) They're being mean to me! (Cry cry cry)

Ah ha ha...just kidding. The seqeul, actual story, or whatever you want to call it, is up. I bet you can find it...


End file.
